Continuing Learning

After I leave Macalester, I have aspirations of entering the field of urban planning so I can put what I have learned into practice. Through planning work, I aim bring about justice for underprivileged populations and right the wrongs of the past, widen the concept of the "public" in my city and improve the livelihoods of city dwellers in the present, and create equitable and sustainable spaces for the future. My time at Macalester in Urban Studies classes has equipped me well to enter the planning field, and I hope to navigate the field with passion and heart. I also hope to continue to reflect and learn more about city planning, and myself as both an aspiring planner and city dweller.

I am keeping my options open in the future to potentially return to school and continue my education, either through obtaining a Masters in Urban Planning or City Planning, or a Masters or PhD in a similar field wherein I would do Urban Studies research. Related to this, I want to further my understanding of how design, media and marketing, consumer culture, and cities are intertwined, particularly through examining malls and Mallification of cities and the commodification of public space. I will potentially explore these issues through future research as I pursue a graduate degree.

Tentatively, I have future plans to combine my passion for Urban Studies with my love for Midwest emo to write a book about the formation of Midwest emo scene culture as connected with the evolution of American cities and suburbs. For many, Midwest emo is synonymous with the American suburb - several of emo's most iconic album covers are mere pictures of single-family homes - and emo bands have written songs and lyrics about topics like suburbia, sprawl, gentrification, police brutality, and urban design. I think it would be beautiful to weave the two topics together. I myself have also been exploring songwriting recently, and I hope to use my foundation in Urban Studies as a lyrical muse someday.

Lastly, I was never able to study abroad during my time at Macalester. I was slated to go to Copenhagen in the fall of 2020 and take classes on bicycling and urban design, but the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to my plans. I hope to travel to Copenhagen and other cities around the world to immerse myself in different urban contexts and ways of life. Someday, I would like to visit cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam and bike around like a local; and visit cities like Tokyo, London, and New York to experience expansive transit systems firsthand. After all, the best way to learn about urban systems is to live them.