About Me
I am a lifelong resident of Seattle, and specifically the neighborhood of Beacon Hill. I was inspired to become and urban planner after witnessing the massive changes that have taken place within the city over the past ten years. I view urban planning and public policy as important tools to help solve some of the biggest problems facing Seattle during this period of rapid growth and change.
Cover Letter
My passion for urban planning arose at a young age. My mother, an architect, provided me with a window in on the development that has been dramatically changing my home neighborhood of Beacon Hill through the projects she worked on. It was in High School, during a period of time that Seattle was growing rapidly, that I realized that planning could be an extremely powerful force in shaping the direction of cities. I attended Design Review Board meetings and met with Urban Planners, learning firsthand about the process of turning policies into real action in the community. Through volunteering, I engaged with members of my community while building skills working both independently and in groups. Academically, I made the most of my opportunities while expandeing my interests beyond the classroom into music, sports, and clubs.
I am completing a dual degree in Community, Environment and Planning (CEP) and Geography at the University of Washington. CEP is a major that affords its students a great degree of flexibility in designing their educational experience but remains grounded around several core courses. It is a self-governing and self-admitting major, meaning that students are ultimately responsible for its success. Through CEP, I have participated in several real world planning projects. This kind of independent, hands-on work has greatly improved several of my key skills that I believe will translate well to a workplace, including facilitation, research, technical writing, public outreach, project management, and public speaking. This led me to my capstone project, in which I interviewed experts and collected information to create a document that explains all the potential impacts of Seattle’s annexation of North Highline. This project has given me a much greater appreciation and understanding for how local government functions and has taught me how to independently develop, organize and execute a major project.
My Geography major has provided me with valuable hard skills that I can apply to issues I am passionate about. This past winter quarter, I was taught the basis of writing a research paper and used this knowledge to write a paper looking into the efficacy of regional transportation networks in generating modal shifts away from car travel as part of one of my foundational Geography courses. I have learned several statistical and analytical methods through classes I’ve taken, which has deepened my ability to understand and explain complex issues. I am well versed in several mapping techniques including ESRI ArcMap, which I have used extensively in my urban planning background and previous internship with Seattle IT. I am a lifelong resident of Seattle, with a lifelong passion for the topic of Urban Planning.
I am completing a dual degree in Community, Environment and Planning (CEP) and Geography at the University of Washington. CEP is a major that affords its students a great degree of flexibility in designing their educational experience but remains grounded around several core courses. It is a self-governing and self-admitting major, meaning that students are ultimately responsible for its success. Through CEP, I have participated in several real world planning projects. This kind of independent, hands-on work has greatly improved several of my key skills that I believe will translate well to a workplace, including facilitation, research, technical writing, public outreach, project management, and public speaking. This led me to my capstone project, in which I interviewed experts and collected information to create a document that explains all the potential impacts of Seattle’s annexation of North Highline. This project has given me a much greater appreciation and understanding for how local government functions and has taught me how to independently develop, organize and execute a major project.
My Geography major has provided me with valuable hard skills that I can apply to issues I am passionate about. This past winter quarter, I was taught the basis of writing a research paper and used this knowledge to write a paper looking into the efficacy of regional transportation networks in generating modal shifts away from car travel as part of one of my foundational Geography courses. I have learned several statistical and analytical methods through classes I’ve taken, which has deepened my ability to understand and explain complex issues. I am well versed in several mapping techniques including ESRI ArcMap, which I have used extensively in my urban planning background and previous internship with Seattle IT. I am a lifelong resident of Seattle, with a lifelong passion for the topic of Urban Planning.