Name: Emani Brinkman

Originally from: Sycamore, IL

Degree: M.S., Urban and Regional Planning, concentration in Housing and Community Development

Graduating class: 2023

Emani  graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA, with bachelor's degrees in both Economics and Business Administration, a minor in Religion, and a concentration in Environmental Studies.

• She is a research assistant for Assistant Professor Sam Zuhlke and is working on compiling and cleaning data for her book. She is also conducting literature reviews on the relationship between presidents and when national monuments were established.
• Emani works part-time for the City of Iowa City as the Planning Intern in Neighborhood and Development Services. Her projects include data collection, photographing development sites, and producing maps and reports for boards and commissions.
• Her favorite part of the program is the people in her cohort. Emani says, “Through the program we have become very close and it's nice to have this group of peers to be future career connections.”
• She was drawn to the UI School of Planning and Public Affairs based on the fact that students often work together on group assignments, developing professional skills in teamwork. "We aren't competing for our grades in this program and coming together to solve problems as a group is encouraged.”