Where I am coming from

                I was born in Atlanta Georgia on May 14^th, 1983 to Mike and Jan Murphy. She is an elementary school teacher and he, after a short retirement, has become a professor at a community college.  I had a great childhood and developed the skills that I would need to be an adult. I thought I was ready to be an adult when I turned eighteen and moved out of my parents’ house. I worked several jobs and learned about paying bills and self reliance. More importantly I learned that I wanted to move up a few rungs on the ladder and make a good life for myself.

                I decided to go to UM and study whatever seemed interesting and had potential for growth. I have a few friends that completed the IS program and they encouraged me to choose it as a subject of study. I followed their advice. As a junior, I began an internship at the Aeiral Fire Depot working for the US Forest Service as an IT specialist. I have found a true passion for IT as I am taking more technically oriented classes and working in the field everyday. There is a good mix of problem solving, personal interaction, travel, technical work, and outdoor work in the position. The internship ended and I was able to continue working for the Forest Service in a long term student position.

                This summer I will be going on my first fire assignments and will put my skills to use in the field and contribute to the cooperative effort of managing wildfires. There is a chance that my long term student position will become a permanent position upon or after my graduation in the winter of 2009. If a position does not become available I will sell my skills to any other agency in the state of Montana or the northern rockies region and work to protect humans from nature and vice versa in the place that I love.