Following graduation, I’m grateful to have employment opportunities in both areas of my studies. This summer I will be working part-time in the field of urban planning until the fall when I will begin my full-time position in the realm of communication for the foreseeable future.
I plan to one day go to graduate school to pursue either a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA), Master’s in Development Practice (MDP), or a Master’s in Urban Planning (MUP). I hope to gain professional experience in the coming years that will provide the insight and guidance towards which path to take next!
Summer 2020 - Project Associate
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BDS Planning & Urban Design is a firm in Seattle that “offers comprehensive community development services, with emphasis on projects that require building consensus and unlikely coalitions, communicating complex information, demonstrating leading ideas, and shaping policy. Projects include strategic plans & visions, stakeholder engagement, downtown revitalization plans, facilitation, assessment districts, organizational development, neighborhood and master plans, and public decisions” according to their website. BDS works with public agencies, nonprofit organizations, public management districts, and 911 organizations.
This summer, I will be a Project Associate with an emphasis on community engagement and culturally-informed placemaking, working closely and with the direction of the organization’s Project Managers. |
August 2020 - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Program Administrator
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As outlined on their website, Cascade Public Media (CPM) is a “nonprofit, publicly supported media organization serving the Pacific Northwest. Our mission is to inspire a smarter world, and we are committed to exceptional public television programming and local public interest journalism. Our unique mix of brands connects our communities and helps them to learn, grow and make a difference.” CPM does this through various avenues, owning various branches and services including the PBS service KCTS9 Seattle, Crosscut, Piranha Partners, & Hive Media Lab.
As the full-time DEI Program Administrator, I will be the subject matter expert providing guidance and knowledge related to DEI principles and objectives and how they support organizational strategies, outreach and recruitment, DEI education and community relations with diverse communities. The DEI Program Administrator fills a key role in the organization’s ongoing efforts to become an equitable, inclusive, and welcoming workplace. This includes leading and supporting efforts to attract, engage, and retain diverse employees, viewers and readers, and cultivating internal relationships with team members and external relationships with diverse communities and organizations. I’m tremendously eager to join Cascade Public Media. As I’ve learned in my communication classes over the years, media and framing inform our reality. In media, the revolution and joy of communities of color are not represented. This perpetuates a trauma narrative when we are only shown our oppression. To be leading this regional movement of changing the narrative and creating pathways for people of color to be the ones telling their own stories of joy and resilience is an incredible honor. |