Student Profiles

Read about the kinds of students who pursue a career in planning—their motivations and experiences inspire the generation that will follow in their footsteps.


Skilled Planners Needed for Sustainable Food Systems

Rial Carver
Kansas State University

I started to realize that the part of the job I enjoyed most were the tasks that required strategic visioning and big picture thinking. I knew from my undergraduate degree that urban planning could offer training in that kind of thinking, so I started to consider urban planning graduate programs.

Healthier Housing and Stronger Communities

Alex Halloway
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Similar to my time growing up, I get a lot of joy from the fact that I get to study in a region with diverse communities. In North Carolina there are, among other things, mountainous communities and coastal communities, growing communities, and shrinking communities.

A Community Worth Fighting For

Kylie Wyatt
University of Kansas

As a planner, I will be able to use everything I’ve learned at KU to change policy, engage with communities, and work on interdisciplinary teams to create a future that we can be proud of.

Balancing Growth and Social Equity

Allison Pineda
The University of Texas at San Antonio

A Master's Degree on the Way to a PhD and a Career in Academia

Camden Miller
University at Buffalo, State University of New York

The field of urban planning is unlike any other discipline in that it impacts every single person, every single day.

Interdisciplinary Lessons in the Real World

Justin Wrede Bucher
The University of Georgia

While I am still an enthusiast of all things geospatial, I am now more inspired to create positive change in communities and environments.

A Place for Entrepreneurialism

Amanda Sapala
Florida State University

You might be surprised to hear, like I was, that other people will talk about how their city, and its design, has impacted them in personal and emotional ways.

Resilience for an Era of Climate Change

Mary Nicol
University of Illinois at Chicago

I was selected as a fellow, which has provided me with several unique opportunities, including helping to write the city’s Resilience Strategy and supporting the work of the Mayor’s Mobility Task Force as they create a set of mobility recommendations for the next mayor.

Improving Housing in the Global South

Meryem Belkadi
University of Cincinnati

My master’s thesis research assesses the housing delivery system, through the analysis of the financial tools aimed at slum dwellers, in the context of slum clearance programs in Morocco.

A Language of Design and Data

Anna Stokes
Columbia University

Coming from a public policy background, I realized throughout my professional experience as an urban planner how important it is to visually communicate and develop ideas.

Changing a Career Path Toward a More Holistic Approach

Nicole Marrocco
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

To be more effective, I felt that I needed additional technical skills and a solid foundation in community development, real estate, and land use.

Empowering Underserved Communities

Hugo Agosto
Portland State University

Affordable housing is my passion! Housing is a fundamental right, and everyone is entitled to a quality and safe space.

Top Schools

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.