ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

What have you been up to since graduating from ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ?

After ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I earned my master’s in city and regional planning with a certificate in natural hazards resilience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I focused mainly on land use and environmental planning during my graduate studies. Afterward, I joined FB Environmental Associates (FBE) in Portland, Maine, as a planner, where I helped with community engagement and vulnerability assessments for coastal Maine communities. In May, 2025, I left FBE to join the city of Auburn, Maine, as their long-range planner. Currently, I am overseeing the city’s update to its comprehensive plan, a ten-year visionary plan for Auburn’s future. It has been very rewarding to immerse myself in municipal planning in Maine, especially as many communities like Auburn experience the effects of post-COVID growth and the opportunities and challenges that growth brings.

Why urban studies?

I was a government and legal studies and environmental studies coordinated major, and around the time ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ introduced the urban studies minor—probably during my sophomore year—I became very interested in how communities could become more resilient to climate change. I started working with Professor Eileen Johnson on research aimed at building connections between coastal communities experiencing the impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise and extreme weather events. Through this work, I learned about the importance of local government and the need to engage communities effectively when planning for an uncertain future.

During the fall of my junior year, a ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ alum with a master’s degree in planning visited one of my classes. Until then, I hadn’t realized planning was a graduate field of study, so that conversation was a lightbulb moment for me. I began to understand that urban studies doesn’t mean working only in big cities. Planning touches many aspects of daily life. My interest then was in community engagement and helping places prepare for climate change impacts, but others might focus on transportation, housing, or economic development. I love how broad the field is. There are many paths to take, which makes it feel both exciting and full of possibilities.

Are there any classes, professors, or experiences that had a lasting impact on you?

All my professors at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ influenced me in meaningful ways. They taught me to ask questions, to be comfortable saying "I don’t know" and then seeking the answer, and to ensure that diverse viewpoints are considered before making decisions. In particular, Professors Eileen Johnson, Shana Starobin, and Jill Pearlman had a significant and positive impact on my journey at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ and beyond. I continue to draw on their lessons every day and remain deeply grateful to them.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in your field?

Say yes to opportunities! Trying a wide range of job types is the best way to figure out what you enjoy and what you don’t within the profession. Talk to people working in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors because planners are everywhere, not just in government roles.

What have you been up to since graduating from ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ?

After ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I spent a year back home in Northwest Arkansas (NWA) working as a city planner. The experience taught me how to balance the inertia of local government with the urgency of private development, both frustrating and inspiring, and how to operate under the hood of city planning. Much of my time was spent on everyday permits, like temporary signs, right-of-way installations, and minor variance requests. In the background of this work, however, were much larger issues that grew as the region’s population ballooned. Housing inequality, limited transit, and sprawling development metastasized into a big, wicked problem that felt impossible to solve. I realized I needed more skills for the work ahead, so I went back to graduate school and received a master's in city planning from MIT.

At MIT, I gained urban design skills with the hope of shepherding more equitable, beautiful growth in NWA. But after completing a site-planning project in Mexico City, I grew more interested in the role of public health and multimodal mobility. My thesis ultimately pivoted away from the visual bias of urban design as I focused more on the spatial and social conditions that cultivate belonging, identity, and a sense of place. I’ve since returned to NWA, where I continue to work as a planner.

Why urban studies?

I arrived at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ unsure of what I wanted to study, except that I wanted to study a lot. I was interested in environmental studies, government, cinema studies, French, and history, a common problem for a liberal arts student! I struggled to find something that captured the breadth of the curriculum and the ideals of the common good until I took my first urban studies course, City, Anti-City, Utopia: Building Urban America, with Professor Pearlman, my freshman spring. The class surveyed the major themes from my other coursework, distilling interdisciplinary ideas into capsule lessons about art, history, technology, justice, politics, power, and culture. I quickly became a “Pearlman minor” and enrolled in almost every course she offered afterward.

What’s special about urban studies is its proactive engagement with the material. Lectures and assignments often blossom into salient discussions about policy and practice. Those conversations have led me to a career that I love.

Are there any classes, professors, or experiences that had a lasting impact on you?

My time at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ was shaped by many hands. Professors Pearlman, Briefel, Johnson, and Franco were particularly influential, and it is impossible to overstate their impact on my post-ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ trajectory. Their incandescent insight drove me to work harder, and they taught me not just how to think but how to enjoy the learning process as well. I am especially grateful for Professor Pearlman’s aggressive compassion. Her guidance is the common denominator behind my best work at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, and I am thankful for all the energy she poured into me.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in your field?

It doesn’t matter if the project is perfect or if the title is exactly right. What matters is that you care about wherever you are. Your compassion for a place, and most importantly the people who live there, will inevitably teach you how to listen well, communicate with diverse audiences, and elevate community agency. These are the very best traits you can gain as a planner.

And most importantly, none of this work has to happen within the constraints of a formal job; sometimes it is even better outside of one. It can be as simple as walking around your neighborhood, studying your surroundings, listening to what people have to say, and noticing what and who is absent. Take note and keep going. As a ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ student, you are more than qualified to do this work. You know how to evaluate a situation, study its systems and institutions, ask tough questions, and work with others toward common solutions.

What have you been up to since graduating from ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ?

After graduating from ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I spent a summer leading a seven-week backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail in Maine for 15-year-old girls (a great way to put life into perspective!) and then moved to Palermo, Sicily, on a Fulbright Study/Research Grant. My project focused on green-space management in Palermo, looking primarily at a few case studies around town. Using a mixed-methods social sciences approach, I studied an extremely successful community-run park and community association, a polluted river that has been the center of years of failed requalification efforts, and a museum dedicated to nature. While in Sicily, I also audited several classes at the University of Palermo and compared the ways in which young urban planners are thinking about cities and planning issues. After another summer running the wilderness trip program at a summer camp in Maine, I recently moved to Boston to work as an assistant director of admissions for School Year Abroad, a high school study-abroad program with campuses in Spain, France, and Italy.

Why Urban studies?

Coming into ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I knew I wanted to be an environmental studies major. I didn’t realize urban studies was even a possible pathway until my sophomore year, when I signed up for Jill Pearlman’s Modern Architecture class to fulfill my visual and performing arts requirement. During that class, I fell in love with Professor Pearlman’s teaching and found the way the course used the evolution of architecture to tell the story of the world around us fascinating. After that semester, I eagerly enrolled in her next course, City and Landscape in Modern Europe, and realized urban studies was a perfect way to combine my interests. I had always wanted to study nature in cities and enjoyed thinking about how to better integrate greenery into urban spaces in ways that build community.

After discovering my love for urban studies, I was fortunate to have a series of professors guide me in making the most of the minor and ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ’s opportunities. Eileen Johnson helped me spend a summer in Italy conducting research on bottom-up greenspace management in Perugia, which resulted in my first academic publication in the international journal Land Use Policy. In my junior year, I completed an ambitious class project with Jill Pearlman, applying William Whyte’s public space principles to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ (which included videoing campus public spaces for over forty hours). The capstone of my environmental studies and urban studies career was my senior thesis with Jill Pearlman, where I studied gentrification in Munjoy Hill, a neighborhood of Portland. When I return to academia for graduate school in a few years, I plan to continue researching gentrification and green spaces, building on the passion I discovered through my thesis.

Are there any classes, professors, or experiences that had a lasting impact on you?

I was fortunate to have an all-star lineup of professors at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, and I carry their classes and advice with me every day. Now living in Boston, I think about Matt Klingle’s City as American History course whenever I pass the skyline. I ask questions at every small farm I visit thanks to Shana Starobin’s hands-on teaching and field experience. Eileen Johnson taught me the interviewing and data-analysis skills I used throughout my Fulbright year. Jill Pearlman fundamentally changed how I look at buildings, and I can’t see the name Le Corbusier without sending her a quick text message about the reference. Beyond these tangible examples, these professors pushed my writing and thinking and helped cultivate my confidence as an academic. I will always be grateful for their dedication and the lasting impact they had on my success.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in your field?

Try as many opportunities as you can, especially those overseas! Learning about urban planning in Italy completely changed how I view the United States, and I think cross-cultural comparisons are invaluable for understanding why things are the way they are. I also recommend embracing opportunities, big or small, to explore different parts of the field. There are many exciting jobs you might not even know exist yet, so don’t be afraid to continue exploring the vast world of urban studies.

Growing up in the “modernist mecca” of Columbus, Indiana, meant that I was surrounded by great works of architecture contrasted with degraded ecosystems and striking inequality. This experience is the foundation for both my appreciation for good design and my deep commitment to building strong communities that serve everyone. At ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I had the chance to explore my passion further through interdisciplinary coursework as well as internships at The Nature Conservancy (ES Logan Fellowship), the National Park Service, and the Damariscotta River Association.  

After graduating from ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I worked for two years at Hudson Riverkeeper through the FAO Schwarz Fellowship program. At Riverkeeper, I had the chance to coordinate community engagement programs and saw the need for policies that empower communities to make informed decisions on land and resource use.  This experience reinforced my desire to be a planner, and I was thrilled to start my graduate education in planning following the conclusion of my fellowship.

I’m currently a graduate student in the Master in Urban Planning program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, with particular interest in planning for sea level rise and climate resilience. Many things excite me about the planning field, but most of all I appreciate the chance it offers to shape interventions that improve people’s lives in the moment and simultaneously contribute to long-term systemic change. 

How has ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ helped you, and what advice would you give to current ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ students?

I entered ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ with an interest in politics but unsure of a specific policy focus. Taking “City, Anti-City, Utopia: Building Urban American” with Professor Pearlman my sophomore fall introduced me to the field of urban studies and changed my academic and career trajectory. Professor Pearlman’s passion is contagious, and I was fascinated by the multitude of things in our urban systems that we take for granted. Taking additional urban studies classes with Professor Pearlman as well as Professor Johnson and Professor Greene deepened my knowledge, and reinforced my commitment to the field. 

Brunswick as well as nearby communities like Portland and Lewiston offer rich contexts for studying the critical urban issues of our time. Most of all, current ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ students should seek to take advantage of the opportunity to explore and assist them along with the remarkable resources that ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ puts behind your efforts.

What I do: I am a Real Estate Development Associate at Plymouth Housing in Seattle, WA. Plymouth owns and operates Permanent Supportive Housing for adults experiencing chronic homelessness – folks who have been living on the street for a long time and frequently have severe mental and physical disabilities. My six-person team is responsible for building new buildings for Plymouth. We manage the entire process from finding and acquiring land, to assembling financing from public and private sources, all the way through construction. On a day-to-day basis, I can be doing anything from managing our $30 million construction budget to meeting construction crews on site. The most exciting part is that I always have a hard hat in my car!

My path to my job:  My path has made a lot of turns, but all my choices have been tied to an interest on "home" and "place." When I started ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I thought I wanted to be a residential architect. I majored in Art History and took architectural history classes because I thought it would be a useful background. I rapidly realized that I didn't want to design buildings, but I was passionate about the study of existing building and art and what they say about the people who interact with them. My interest in old buildings in particular led to urban history classes, which led to an interest in urban historic preservation. So, after ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I went straight to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania for a dual professional degree program in City Planning and Historic Preservation. There, as I learned more about present-day social justice issues, my interests shifted again to affordable housing finance and policy. Affordable housing ended up being my professional passion, and when I graduated, I looked for positions at nonprofits that build affordable housing. Now, I build homes every day for folks who need them the most. 

How did ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ help me?  I'm a very big believer in the liberal arts, and I think ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ helped me most not by giving me particular hard skills but by developing my mind. At ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I learned critical thinking, ethics, and how to come to a position and defend it. I learned how to express myself and the ideas I care about passionately and eloquently. These are skills that I use not only in my work, but in everyday life, and in our difficult and complex world, I am thankful every day that I developed these skills at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ helped me the most by developing my critical thinking and ability to craft an argument, skills I use every day.

Advice I would give: I would tell ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ students to enjoy their time and take advantage of ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ as an opportunity to explore. Don't worry too much about building hard skills for a particular job; so many hard skills really can't be taught in an academic setting. But excitement about a field or idea and the ability to express yourself are always valuable. Also, focus on building relationships. I have moved all over the country in the years since ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, often to places where I didn't know anyone. My strong relationships with my friends from college gave me the solid base I needed to take those risks.

​What interested me in Urban Planning: My dirty secret is that I was terrified of cities as a child. But, when I started learning about how American cities had developed and the forces that shaped them over time, I started to like them because I understood them. I love that urban studies gives you a window into the patterns that shape everyday life in a city but are unnoticed by many urban people, from the rules that shape the density of housing to how bus routes are designed. Urban fabric is also such an incredible artifact of human lives and relationships, the physical evidence of how we work, shop, eat, and live. I like that urban studies gives the opportunity to understand and honor those physical manifestations and support people and communities by protecting and investing in their environment. Finally, our cities contain so many physical manifestations and perpetuations of injustice against non-white Americans. Working with and changing that urban fabric is an essential tool for breaking the cycle of injustice in America.

What is your current job (position) and what do you do specifically?

Title: ORISE Fellow

I am currently completing a fellowship with the US Department of Transportation via the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). I work in the Office of Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. This office is responsible for recommending overall surface transportation policy initiatives to the Secretary. I am a member of the Environmental Team and Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Center. We specifically focus on improving environmental and community outcomes and increasing interagency coordination for infrastructure projects through the environmental review and permitting process.  

What was the path you took to get to your position?

After graduating from ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, I moved back to Chicago to take a gap year before attending graduate school. During my gap year, I worked at the Environmental Law & Policy Center where I assisted with some diesel pollution research and got more experience with GIS. In 2016, I started Georgia Tech's Master of City and Regional Planning program. I specialized in Environment & Health and Land Use. I was very intimidated by transportation and did not take any transportation classes as a student. Despite this, I applied for an internship at the US Department of Transportation in Summer 2017. My fear of transportation became non-existent and I realized that transportation was something of genuine interest to me. After graduate school, I applied for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellowship at the US Department of Transportation and was delighted to return to where my love for transportation started.

How has ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ helped you, and what advice would you give to current ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ students?

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ has helped me in so many ways. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ is where I pursued my interest in the built environment and urban planning through classes in the Environmental Studies program. My foundational knowledge of GIS started at ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ through a science course and has turned into something that I use in my work at DOT. While applying for graduate school, I relied on the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ network. I reached out to several alumni who discussed their planning school experience with me, read my personal statements, and even reviewed my resume. My advice to current students is reach out to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ alumni doing work in fields that interest you. We are more than happy to talk with you!

What interested you about Urban Planning/Studies?

I grew up in the Chicago metropolitan area and cities have always excited me. This was something I carried with me to ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ while majoring in Environmental Studies and Sociology. Urban planning was the best way for me to combine the knowledge I gained in both fields and go into a career where I could apply that knowledge and make an impact. I am happy that I get to do exactly that at the federal level.