Area of Study: 
Urban & Regional Planning
Concentration: Transportation Planning

Why did you join the program?
After moving often while in the Navy and later while working for Meta, I wanted to connect my experiences in different towns with my program management and analysis skills. My goal was to implement hyper-local changes for the Iowa City community. Knowing that I could begin doing that work in the second-year capstone is what ultimately sold me on joining the program.

What advice would you give to someone considering joining this program? 
Success can be found in our program through collaborating often with peers, making study groups, and learning to use each other’s strengths. The program benefits students with diverse backgrounds and is not only welcoming, but also fosters unique perspectives that improve the learning of all.

Tell us about your internship experience:
Before starting the program, I spent last summer as a farm apprentice at the Jonson County Historic Poor Farm for Iowa Valley RC&D. I was hired through networking conversations with other local nonprofits, and I really enjoyed learning about food security infrastructure in a hands-on way and working closely with community volunteers with diverse backgrounds. I'm excited to have another internship during the summer of 2026 for course credit, where I'll have the opportunity to apply my new planning knowledge. 

What's a fun fact about you? 
In summer 2025 I competed in eight 100KM gravel bike races, finishing in the top three twice.