Personal Statement

I am writing to express my interest in the Urban Planning internship with the The New York City Department of City Planning. My past experience with architecture and planning research, development, and program management—in both nonprofit and institutional settings —coupled with my current master’s coursework make me an excellent candidate for this position. Additionally, my academic and personal enthusiasm for community-focused planning, specifically at a city agency level, would enhance my interests.

Before coming to The University of Pennsylvania I worked in a series of roles that enhanced my familiarity and appreciation for New York’s historical and contemporary built environment. As a program and development manager at The Skyscraper

This balance of both old and new, a particular juxtaposition, presented rare opportunities for me to explore how community members are empowered through reclaimed public and private spaces. In a summer internship, I worked closely with New York City Landmarks as a GIS data fellow, analyzing and constructing a web-based, geo-located map involving the multitude of historic districts in the city. By working at a city agency, I furthered my understanding of the inner workings of city government and saw first hand the municipal investment that improve the lives of everyday New Yorkers. To further progress my understanding of city government I took a position at Woodlawn Cemetery to better understand the educational components of historic preservation planning in NYC. There I developed and oversaw programming for the apprenticeship program which joined historic cemetery planning, preservation, and conservation. This position enhanced my excitement of participatory engagement and facilitated

In the summer of 2017, I partook in an international heritage studio that traveled to Galway, Ireland in order to observe and construct a new preservation and development plan for the growing historic city. As a result of our core preservation planning studio in the fall of 2017, we looked at a low-income neighborhood in North Philadelphia that has long been jeopardized by disinvestment. We utilized preservation and planning analyses to assess the full range of issues and opportunities facing the neighborhood to propose a means of mitigating redevelopment in order to strengthen its assets. As part of the studio we developed a Community-First Preservation Plan that enabled the neighborhood’s existing community to pursue equitable revitalization that balanced the necessity for affordable development with other other market pressures, all while balancing the preservation of the rich, beautiful, and meaningful built environment and cultural identity present in the community. By the means of studio participation and relevant coursework, I was able to cultivate research, writing, mapping, and design skills that are necessary to prepare reports, maps, and other graphic materials in order to develop the outcome planning