Dawn Sumner, an associate professor of geology, wrote the following essay for the campus's new initiative, My Personal Compass:

My personal compass is a Brunton. It is orange and has "SUMNER" engraved on it in my dad's neat printing. He gave it to me at the end of my freshman year in college, because he wanted one and I "needed" one. I was majoring in geology.

A Brunton is a special compass used to measure the orientations of rock layers and faults, to site to peaks and measure elevation changes, to find yourself on the map when you are lost and to see how badly the cut on your cheek is bleeding.

Bruntons are durable. Mine has scratches and dents from almost 20 years of use. The mirror has shattered, but the mirror can be replaced, twice, three times, more. The needle still points north and the bubbles in the levels always float.

My Brunton represents my dad's love and support, his appreciation for fun, his dreams for me. It reflects the values that define my magnetic north, the directions I want to go, my ability to define my own path through life.

My compass keeps its orientation. The needle swings when life moves quickly and unexpectedly, but it returns to its centered state, aligned by fundamental forces. When hard blows shatter parts of life, the north-pointing needle and the floating bubbles assist my recovery from the broken mirrors.

Events deflect my heading, but I have always returned to my magnetic north, gravity pulls me back to Earth, my personal compass points me toward the honesty and integrity that define who I want to be.

My personal compass is a treasured gift from my dad.

For more My Personal Compass Essays, visit mypersonalcompass.ucdavis.edu.