Individual Study Plan
Zackary Patrick Crotty
University of Washington
_____________________________
Community, Environment, & Planning
Urban Design & Planning
University of Washington
_____________________________
Community, Environment, & Planning
Urban Design & Planning
Table of Contents
- Letter of Introduction
- Visual Course Map
- Quarterly Plan (Year One)
- Fall 2015
- Winter 2016
- Spring 2016
- Quarterly Plan (Year Two)
- Fall 2016
- Winter 2017
- Spring 2017
- CEP Extras
- Previous Courses
- Internship
- Extracurricular
- Senior Project
Letter of Introduction
I entered college, here at the University of Washington, as an eager freshman intent on becoming an architect. However, after wading my way through various general education courses required by the university, I became extremely frustrated. I felt as though my time was being wasted by having to pass all of these meaningless courses, unrelated to anything I wanted to learn or do in my life. My initial interest in architecture led me to an introductory course to the College of Built Environments. Here, they described, compared, and explained all of the varying elements across the fields of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Construction Management, and this interesting program called Community, Environment, and Planning. The more I experienced, the more I realized I truly didn’t want to be an architect; I didn’t want to start down the long pathway of the isolated design of buildings. I wanted to be more involved, more in charge, and work within a community to generate ideas and improvements. CEP presented a close-knit community to foster ideas, as well as, provided the tools to be intentional about your learning and your college career. CEP offered freedom within their program, where one can chose their own educational goals and focuses, freedom to design your own pathway and actively follow and reflect upon it. So here I was, after feeling stranded, trying to pick courses to define the rest of my life, I found CEP calling me.
Within the undergraduate program of Community, Environment, and Planning, my educational focus still revolves around planning and design. I am currently minoring in Urban Planning and Design and looking into possibly applying for graduate school, to achieve a Masters in Urban Planning. I am interested and invested in developing plans for land use in all sorts of timeframes and capacities. Whether it’s working within the local community to generate improvements, solving spatial metropolitan issues, or analyzing land reform on a regional scale. I have also developed a strong interest in Geographic Information Systems. I love working with data and producing useful maps and site plans; sharpening these skills and understanding the ArcGis program is an area of emphasis for me as well. Additionally, I fully understand that the processes and policies of planning are strongly incorporated within the political system. Aside from planning, politics is a personal interest of mine which I believe will help me through the long and arduous process of creating plans and seeing them through to implementation. A culmination of these areas of focus will guide me on my path to becoming an effective planner.
With the first quarter under my belt and my educational focuses laid out, I want to start focusing on the direct elements of my chosen field. I have created a study plan that pulls from several different areas of knowledge, such as, geography and geographic information systems, architecture and landscape architecture, and urban planning and CEP. Moving forward, I want to absorb the methods and skills I need to become a successful planner. I want to build myself up with marketable skills while also being generally knowledgeable about the different fields. I want to prepare myself as much as possible, to be the best planner I can be, to feel comfortable handling any challenges I face. With help from my cohort, guidance from my professors and counselors, and experience from internships, I believe I can accomplish these goals. Overall, leaving myself the options of applying to graduate school or entering the work force right away. Either decision I make, I will hopefully be on my way to my dream job of moving to a smaller suburban town in a forested area and becoming the head of the Department of Community Development. Investing myself within the community, handling the zoning and the land use of the town to improve the community, all while concentrating on the transition to a completely sustainable lifestyle. - Sincerely, Zackary Crotty
Within the undergraduate program of Community, Environment, and Planning, my educational focus still revolves around planning and design. I am currently minoring in Urban Planning and Design and looking into possibly applying for graduate school, to achieve a Masters in Urban Planning. I am interested and invested in developing plans for land use in all sorts of timeframes and capacities. Whether it’s working within the local community to generate improvements, solving spatial metropolitan issues, or analyzing land reform on a regional scale. I have also developed a strong interest in Geographic Information Systems. I love working with data and producing useful maps and site plans; sharpening these skills and understanding the ArcGis program is an area of emphasis for me as well. Additionally, I fully understand that the processes and policies of planning are strongly incorporated within the political system. Aside from planning, politics is a personal interest of mine which I believe will help me through the long and arduous process of creating plans and seeing them through to implementation. A culmination of these areas of focus will guide me on my path to becoming an effective planner.
With the first quarter under my belt and my educational focuses laid out, I want to start focusing on the direct elements of my chosen field. I have created a study plan that pulls from several different areas of knowledge, such as, geography and geographic information systems, architecture and landscape architecture, and urban planning and CEP. Moving forward, I want to absorb the methods and skills I need to become a successful planner. I want to build myself up with marketable skills while also being generally knowledgeable about the different fields. I want to prepare myself as much as possible, to be the best planner I can be, to feel comfortable handling any challenges I face. With help from my cohort, guidance from my professors and counselors, and experience from internships, I believe I can accomplish these goals. Overall, leaving myself the options of applying to graduate school or entering the work force right away. Either decision I make, I will hopefully be on my way to my dream job of moving to a smaller suburban town in a forested area and becoming the head of the Department of Community Development. Investing myself within the community, handling the zoning and the land use of the town to improve the community, all while concentrating on the transition to a completely sustainable lifestyle. - Sincerely, Zackary Crotty
Visual Course Map
Community, Environment, and Planning Major:
Methods category without overlap
GEOG 360 - 5 Credits
L ARCH 341 - 3 Credits
ARCH 455 - 3 Credits
L ARCH 363 - 3 Credits
Methods category with Minor overlap
URBDP 422 - 5 Credits
URBDP 450 - 3 Credits
URBDP 480 - 1 Credit
L ARCH 361 - 3 Credits
Urban Planning and Design Minor:
Required core class for minor
URBDP 300 - 5 Credits
13 credits of URBDP prefix courses
URBDP 422 - 5 Credits
URBDP 450 - 3 Credits
URBDP 498 - 3 Credits
URBDP 480 - 1 Credit
URBDP 480 - 1 Credit
12 credits of additional planning courses
CEP 200 - 5 Credits
URBDP 200 - 5 Credits
L ARCH 361 - 3 Credits
Methods category without overlap
GEOG 360 - 5 Credits
L ARCH 341 - 3 Credits
ARCH 455 - 3 Credits
L ARCH 363 - 3 Credits
Methods category with Minor overlap
URBDP 422 - 5 Credits
URBDP 450 - 3 Credits
URBDP 480 - 1 Credit
L ARCH 361 - 3 Credits
Urban Planning and Design Minor:
Required core class for minor
URBDP 300 - 5 Credits
13 credits of URBDP prefix courses
URBDP 422 - 5 Credits
URBDP 450 - 3 Credits
URBDP 498 - 3 Credits
URBDP 480 - 1 Credit
URBDP 480 - 1 Credit
12 credits of additional planning courses
CEP 200 - 5 Credits
URBDP 200 - 5 Credits
L ARCH 361 - 3 Credits
Quarterly Plan - CEP Year One
Fall 2015:
CEP 301 – The Idea of Community (Core)
Course Description: Theories of community and communal rights and responsibilities. Experience building a learning community within major. Explores struggles for community in every sector of life.
Course Explanation: I believe my first core class within the CEP major went extremely well. I became a lot more familiar with the overall structure of the program, as well as, becoming familiar with the members of my cohort. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed learning from a large array of philosophers, on the ideas and ideologies of the creation of differing communities.
URBDP 498 – Introduction to GIS (Minor)
Course Description: A lecture and lab-based course designed to provide students with introductory practical knowledge of Geographical Information Systems and Science for current and future coursework in urban planning.
Course Explanation: This course provided me with an understanding of Geographic Information Systems and how GIS is used in the creation of maps. It taught me a basic set of skills within the ArcGis program and rudimentary map components. Overall, I feel as though I was able to come away with a comfortable handling of the ArcGis program, an understanding of the underlying raw data, and the ability to create my own simple maps.
GEOG 360 – Principles of GIS Mapping (Methods)
Course Description: Origins, development, and methods of cartographic mapping. Principles of data representation and map design for thematic mapping and spatial analysis. Introduction to principles of geographic information systems.
Course Explanation: This class, in addition to the URBDP GIS course, provided me with a base set of abilities related to ArcGis and walked me through the process of data transformation into meaningful maps. I benefitted from diving into two GIS courses at the same time because my learning was reinforced, my knowledge of program functions was expanded, and my comprehension of data aggregation was developed. I really enjoyed GIS and am interested in taking more related courses in the future to continue developing this technical skill.
Winter 2016:
CEP 302 – Environmental Response (Core)
Course Description: Explores issues of environmental crisis and societal responses. Readings and reflective analysis from broad selection of authoritative sources to develop grounded perspective in ecological literacy and consciousness. Concurrently, experiential education in challenges and practical responses to building sustainable society through participation in community-based environmental effort.
Course Explanation: Living in Seattle and not being very environmentally conscious isn’t a very good combination. For this class, my goal was to understand the several environmental crisis the world is currently experiencing or will be experiencing in the near future. Additionally, I wanted to comprehend the societal issues that hinder environmental correctional response and learn what I can do to help. Issues discussed in this class may influence work done in the future regarding planning in response to environmental issues.
L ARCH 361 – The Human Experience of Place (Method/Minor)
Course Description: Interdisciplinary approaches to exploring the reciprocal relationship between people and the landscapes of everyday life. Through readings, discussion, in-class activities and mini-projects, students study place attachment, relationships to nature, environmental attitudes and perception, personal space, territoriality, urban public space, diversity, participation, and the politics of space.
Course Explanation: This course is relevant to my educational interest of design. It provided me with a better understanding of the relationship between humans and their surroundings. I learned the basics of open space observation, analysis, and design practices.
URBDP 422 – Urban/Regional Geospatial Analysis (Method/Minor)
Course Description: Principles of GIS applied to problems in urban design and planning, landscape architecture, and environmental and resource studies. Practical problem-solving approaches using contemporary desktop mapping packages and vector and raster GIS systems. Siting, environmental evaluation and inventories, and modeling.
Course Explanation: After establishing a solid set of skills from my previous two GIS courses, I wanted to further my GIS education and expand my skillset. From this course I want to learn the application of GIS to my other educational focus/minor of Urban Design and Planning.
URBDP 480 – Planning as a Profession (Method/Minor)
Course Description: A one credit lecture based course that provides weekly speakers. The speakers belong to varying careers that use planning in the real life work place.
Course Explanation: I am very excited to take this course, I really want to know as much as I can about how to transform my interest in planning to a specific career for the rest of my life.
Spring 2016:
CEP 303 – Social Structures and Processes (Core)
Course Description: Investigates use of formal and informal social structures and processes within context of community and environment. Looks at patterns and institutions of social organization and relationships among different sectors. Issues of interrelatedness, citizenship, knowledge, and communication.
Course Explanation: From this course, I want to understand the best methods of communication between different built environment sectors and the best modes of operation in varying contexts. After my first full year in CEP, I want to have a firm grasp on the ideologies of community and the environment, to move forward towards the application of the two, to urban planning. I was able to comprehend the complexity of neighborhood and community composition.
URBDP 300 – Introduction to Urban Planning (Minor)
Course Description: Principles and theories of urban structure and institutions. Concepts and logic of planning as a community process and a professional activity. Evolution of planning ideas in response to changing social, economic, and environmental conditions within the American political framework. Complementary nature of public and private responsibilities. Major procedures used by planners.
Course Explanation: This course is the core requirement for the Urban Planning and Design Minor. From this course, to deepen my understanding of Urban Planning, I want to comprehend the concepts and procedures used by planners in the work force. Overall, I want to gain the base I need to move forward with my interests and focus. This class provided me with a wealth of knowledge on the formation of cities and various contemporary mechanisms of urban spaces.
CEP 498 – Digital Design Practicum (Elective)
Course Description: Teaches various design programs through an urban planning focused course. Walks student through InDesign, Photoshop, GIS, and SketchUp while completing applicable real world urban planning design tasks.
Course Explanation: This class finally offered me the real digital design skills I needed to create professional quality pieces of work. Before this class I had only taken GIS courses, but was rather clueless with 3-D urban design and 2-D layout software. After this course I feel as though I am proficient with InDesign, know my general way around Photoshop, have a steady handle on GIS, and have built a solid foundation in SketchUp – something I am very interested in learning more about and working more with in the future.
Quarterly Plan - CEP Year Two
Fall 2016:
CEP 460 – Planning in Context (Core)
Course Description: Examines theory against backdrop of practice for broad historical understanding of social, political, environmental planning. Critique from viewpoints, e.g., planning history, ethics, ecofeminism, environmental justice, class and capitalism, planning and global economy. Develop personalized history reflecting individual experience, professional experience, and philosophical heritage of planning profession.
Course Explanation: From this course I want to absorb theories of planning, as qualified through several different perspectives. I want to take away a general understanding of what works well, critiques, and what has proven difficult or negative. Overall, I want to be aware of all of the different viewpoints needed to take into consideration when forming a plan. This course offered a chance to work in a large team to produce a planning document for a city client.
URBDP 450 – Introduction to Land Use, Growth Management, and Environmental Planning (Methods/Minor)
Course Description: Provides an understanding of contemporary land use issues (including sprawl, smart growth, new urbanism, transit-oriented development, and Washington's Growth Management Act) and examines their environmental impact and social welfare implications. Analyzes best-practice techniques of growth management.
Course Explanation: A crucial aspect of urban planning is the management of growth. This is a perfect methods course as it explains the issues involved in growth and land use, while also explaining methods and management practices. This course helped me understand the multitude of ways land is developed, distributed, and preserved.
L ARCH 341 – Site Design and Planning (Methods)
Course Description: Introduces urban ecological design issues for good site-planning processes, principles, and methods. Addresses planning for people, natural systems in place-making, design for movement with carried land uses.
Course Explanation: I was very excited for this fall quarter, finally getting to take all explicitly planning courses. I was especially happy about this course because I have recently taken an interest in landscape architectural design. From this course I want to learn site design strategies, what makes a space active and aesthetic, and more hard drawing skills. Most of all, I want to build my knowledge and capabilities of site design by learning from a planning perspective and from a landscape design perspective. This course provided me with several opportunities to understand landscape sites through field trips, sketches, cross cuts, and diagrams.
Winter 2017:
CEP 461 – Ethics and Identity (Core)
Course Description: Examination of personal, societal, vocational, environmental, planning ethics. Readings and discourse on ethical foundations for public life. Individual and group readings on values, human potential. Develops understanding of ecological context, moral responsibility, self-awareness. Constructs positive, diverse view of humanity, environment regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, beliefs.
Course Explanation: I’m projecting this class to be very influential and valuable. I want to take away a comfortable understanding of the contemporary ethical climate, as well as, grasping the role ethics plays within planning. I’m very interested in learning about just how much moral responsibility, values, and personal human potential play into design and planning. This course provided a thorough discussion of numerous ethical frameworks. Specifically, it helped me understand how contextual ethics can be when subjected to various perspectives.
ARCH 455 – American Architecture (Methods)
Course Description: American architecture from indigenous Native American traditions to the present.
Course Explanation: I wanted to take this course because I still have a deep appreciation for architecture. Ultimately, I wanted to learn more about the history and design of American buildings to further understand the composition of cities. This course greatly expanded my knowledge of American architecture. It featured a multitude of works across time, resources, designers and styles. This course provided me with an understanding of various modes, meanings, and materials of architecture here in the states and how they are influenced by international structures.
Spring 2017:
CEP 462 – Community and Environment (Core)
Course Description: Capstone quarter merges core seminars, disciplinary courses in major, community field experiences for mastery of personal knowledge and skills. Reflection and synthesis of themes in major; engagement with contemporary issues. Compares theoretical definitions of community and environment with individual philosophies and knowledge within thoughtful, applied context.
Course Explanation: From my last core class within CEP, I want to intentionally reflect upon the entirety of my time within the CEP program to solidify the skills and information I have attained. Additionally, I want to complete my senior project to the best of my abilities. I’m hoping this course will help me convey my project idea and all of my field work in the most logical, comprehensive, and interesting way possible.
CEP 446 – Internship (Required)
Course Description: Connects core and individual courses with field work. Group and individual readings develop understanding of how students' internships and field placements constitute particular element of community and environmental planning. Explores how what we do for a living is part of our lives as citizens and public service.
Course Explanation: After completing my actual internship, I hope to further bridge the gap between my planning related courses and a planning related career. I want to understand how to apply my collegiate learning towards as many fields of work as I can. Additionally, I want to be able to market my skills and knowledge to potential employers. I want to prepare myself for either graduate school or a career directly out of college.
L ARCH 363 – Ecological Design and Planning (Methods)
Course Description: Introduction to landscape ecological theory applied to urban environments. Comparison of different vocabularies used to describe landscape structure and function, from the fields of landscape design, urban design, and biology. Discussion of design theories that have sought to re-center landscape planning and design around the goal of achieving ecological sustainability.
Course Explanation: I believe this will be a perfect course to end my undergraduate career. As I begin to shift my focus more towards design, Ecological Design and Planning will allow me to understand how ecological sustainability can be approached. This course is relevant to my academic focus as I want to incorporate ecological systems thinking into the design and planning of future urban works and landscapes.
CEP Extras
CEP 300 – Retreat (Fall and Spring)
Course Description: Focuses on planning analysis assessment and development of the major. Opportunities for community building and all-major policy deliberation and decisions. Workshops for skill building in consensus, facilitation, and for major-specific activities such as developing individual study plans and study abroad experiences.
Course Explanation: Initially, I thought my first CEP retreat was going to be a little weird. I had no idea what to expect from a weekend trip out to the woods with a group of students I barely knew. But it was actually a really cool experience. We learned a lot about each other, as well as, a lot about how the major is structured. On top of that, we learned how we fit into CEP and what we can do to make our own changes. I valued the time working to become comfortable around everyone in the cohort and look forward to retreats in the future. I enjoyed reflecting on my first year in CEP at spring retreat and appreciated welcoming in the new class at fall retreat.
CEP 400 – Governance Practicum (Every Quarter)
Course Description: Emphasizes personal and collective leadership, democratic decision making, and learning through direct action and reflection. Explores and develops students' personal skills as leaders, while also learning how to form and function as effective groups.
Course Explanation: This is the student run governing structure of our major. We are separated into varying committees to focus and improve on the different aspects of our program. I am currently in the Communication Committee and a part of the social media team, where we have been working with Outreach and Admissions to help spread our program outward. This quarter has gone well, we helped establish a social media front with varying focused posts, spotlights, themes, and hashtags to constantly be updating everyone about what current and past CEP students are accomplishing. I’ll be back in Communication Committee next quarter where I want to focus on learning more computer design skills, so I can help with creating pamphlets and posters to promote CEP.
CEP 490/491 – Senior Project Prep Seminar (Fall and Winter)
Course Description: Supports the conceptualization and planning of senior project/capstone work. Focuses on selecting a project, beginning a literature review, finding a mentor, and developing a plan. Focuses on implementing the senior project/capstone, including revisions and updates as seen fit.
Course Explanation: I very much don’t want to be the person who slacks off on their senior project. I believe this course will help keep me ahead of the curve and greatly aid in fully developing my project idea. Additionally, these courses will help walk me through the senior project framework and individual components before finalizing my efforts in the spring.
Course Description: Focuses on planning analysis assessment and development of the major. Opportunities for community building and all-major policy deliberation and decisions. Workshops for skill building in consensus, facilitation, and for major-specific activities such as developing individual study plans and study abroad experiences.
Course Explanation: Initially, I thought my first CEP retreat was going to be a little weird. I had no idea what to expect from a weekend trip out to the woods with a group of students I barely knew. But it was actually a really cool experience. We learned a lot about each other, as well as, a lot about how the major is structured. On top of that, we learned how we fit into CEP and what we can do to make our own changes. I valued the time working to become comfortable around everyone in the cohort and look forward to retreats in the future. I enjoyed reflecting on my first year in CEP at spring retreat and appreciated welcoming in the new class at fall retreat.
CEP 400 – Governance Practicum (Every Quarter)
Course Description: Emphasizes personal and collective leadership, democratic decision making, and learning through direct action and reflection. Explores and develops students' personal skills as leaders, while also learning how to form and function as effective groups.
Course Explanation: This is the student run governing structure of our major. We are separated into varying committees to focus and improve on the different aspects of our program. I am currently in the Communication Committee and a part of the social media team, where we have been working with Outreach and Admissions to help spread our program outward. This quarter has gone well, we helped establish a social media front with varying focused posts, spotlights, themes, and hashtags to constantly be updating everyone about what current and past CEP students are accomplishing. I’ll be back in Communication Committee next quarter where I want to focus on learning more computer design skills, so I can help with creating pamphlets and posters to promote CEP.
CEP 490/491 – Senior Project Prep Seminar (Fall and Winter)
Course Description: Supports the conceptualization and planning of senior project/capstone work. Focuses on selecting a project, beginning a literature review, finding a mentor, and developing a plan. Focuses on implementing the senior project/capstone, including revisions and updates as seen fit.
Course Explanation: I very much don’t want to be the person who slacks off on their senior project. I believe this course will help keep me ahead of the curve and greatly aid in fully developing my project idea. Additionally, these courses will help walk me through the senior project framework and individual components before finalizing my efforts in the spring.
Previous Courses
CEP 200 - Intro to Community/Environmental Planning (Minor)
Course Description: Intro to central themes of major. Opportunities to engage in community action and planning process, while developing ecological literacy. Lectures, discussions, and critical writing exercises combine to increase knowledge/interest in these fields.
Course Explanation: Walked in on accident, walked out with a brand new major.
URBDP 200 – Introduction to Urbanization (Minor)
Course Description: Introduces how cities work and explores alternative ways of planning and designing urban futures. Explores the economic, cultural, political, and social aspects of cities and how we might change them for the better.
Course Explanation: This course was centered on the creation of cities. We took a close look at the factors that cause cities to develop, the relationship between society and the city, and the reasons why cities fail. I learned a ton of concepts varying from the very creation of the first cities all the way to urban sprawl of America, from the industrial revolution to the slums of India. This was a very interesting class and directly related to Urban Planning due to the analysis preformed on economic, cultural, political, and social aspects of urbanization.
HSTAA 105 – The Peoples of the United States (Diversity)
Course Description: Surveys American diversity since 1500. Re-peopling of America through conquest and immigration by Native Americans, Europeans, Africans, Asians, and Latin Americans. Contributions of various peoples and the conflicts between them, with special attention to changing constructions of race and ethnicity and evolving understandings of what it means to be American.
Course Explanation: I took this course to fulfill the required diversity credit for CEP. We started our learning with an in-depth look at Native Americans before colonization. Then, we worked our way through the succession of immigration waves while studying and analyzing specific cultures’ experiences in the new world. Additionally, we read three novels along the way, all dealing with the diverse cultures we were learning about. Such as a novel written by the granddaughter of a slave, a novel by a first generation Chinese college student, and an impoverished first generation Slovak family, working in the steel mills of Pennsylvania. I learned a lot about the varying hardships specific cultures’ experienced upon settling in America. We really dove into and analyzed the way cultures were received in the new world, how they overcame suppression, and the eventual diversification of America. It was really an eye-opening experience learning the similar and different struggles endured based entirely on the cultural background people came from. Additionally, I deepened my own knowledge on what my heritage experienced and where I came from. I knew a lot of the reasons why the Irish immigrated to America but had no idea what they went through upon settling.
Course Description: Intro to central themes of major. Opportunities to engage in community action and planning process, while developing ecological literacy. Lectures, discussions, and critical writing exercises combine to increase knowledge/interest in these fields.
Course Explanation: Walked in on accident, walked out with a brand new major.
URBDP 200 – Introduction to Urbanization (Minor)
Course Description: Introduces how cities work and explores alternative ways of planning and designing urban futures. Explores the economic, cultural, political, and social aspects of cities and how we might change them for the better.
Course Explanation: This course was centered on the creation of cities. We took a close look at the factors that cause cities to develop, the relationship between society and the city, and the reasons why cities fail. I learned a ton of concepts varying from the very creation of the first cities all the way to urban sprawl of America, from the industrial revolution to the slums of India. This was a very interesting class and directly related to Urban Planning due to the analysis preformed on economic, cultural, political, and social aspects of urbanization.
HSTAA 105 – The Peoples of the United States (Diversity)
Course Description: Surveys American diversity since 1500. Re-peopling of America through conquest and immigration by Native Americans, Europeans, Africans, Asians, and Latin Americans. Contributions of various peoples and the conflicts between them, with special attention to changing constructions of race and ethnicity and evolving understandings of what it means to be American.
Course Explanation: I took this course to fulfill the required diversity credit for CEP. We started our learning with an in-depth look at Native Americans before colonization. Then, we worked our way through the succession of immigration waves while studying and analyzing specific cultures’ experiences in the new world. Additionally, we read three novels along the way, all dealing with the diverse cultures we were learning about. Such as a novel written by the granddaughter of a slave, a novel by a first generation Chinese college student, and an impoverished first generation Slovak family, working in the steel mills of Pennsylvania. I learned a lot about the varying hardships specific cultures’ experienced upon settling in America. We really dove into and analyzed the way cultures were received in the new world, how they overcame suppression, and the eventual diversification of America. It was really an eye-opening experience learning the similar and different struggles endured based entirely on the cultural background people came from. Additionally, I deepened my own knowledge on what my heritage experienced and where I came from. I knew a lot of the reasons why the Irish immigrated to America but had no idea what they went through upon settling.
Internship
I’ve been hired by the University to serve as a Husky Neighborhood Intern in the North of 45th community. Employed by the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct, I function as a liaison between the university and the members of the community in order to address any partnership issues and to ensure social cohesion. It is our job to provide information and resources to students living off campus as well as to foster community and promote civic engagement. I work alongside three other interns and we combine forces to plan community events, execute neighborhood improvement projects, and most of all, bring people together.
Personal Internship Projects:
Project Contributions:
Personal Internship Projects:
- Neighborhood Night Walk
- Identification of night time safety issues throughout the community
- Tenant Housing
- Distribution of rental information, ordinance updates, and helpful tips
- Truck Hill
- Outline of city grant application for development of Truck Hill parcel
Project Contributions:
- Community Clean Ups
- Paired w/ Green Greeks to help clean up the neighborhood
- Canned Food and Sock Drive
- Donated to Tent City 3 housed on University of Washington campus
- Ravenna Council Formation
- Voiced community concerns, informed community development
Extracurricular
Outside of academia, all of my extracurricular work has been done within my fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. As soon as I was introduced to the various positions within the house and accustomed to the process of chapter, I immediately wanted to get involved. As a freshman, in just my second quarter of being an active member, I was nominated and elected to serve as Warden. As Warden I was in charge of keeping order in chapter, recording chapter attendance, organizing the mailroom, and handling the change of door codes and locks on the entire house.
As a sophomore, I made the jump into the Executive Council as I was elected to serve as Risk Manager. As Risk Manager, I mitigated risk, looked after the health and safety of my brothers, was responsible for coordinating with security at our events, informing the chapter of dangerous or illegal activity happening around the UW area, and responsible for locking the house down during unsafe instances. When my term was up, I then jumped at the opportunity to become the first Eminent Correspondent. Once elected, I helped create and solidify the position to improve our social media and public relations. I honestly didn’t enjoy being complacent or being out of the executive council. I loved being a part of a group of leaders within the house, working together to make the best decisions we can, with the constant improvement of the house in mind.
As a junior, there was a vote of no confidence for the younger members running for Risk Manager. So I took it upon myself to run again and was elected as Risk Manager a second time. After my second term of Risk Management was completed, I was elected by the chapter to serve the fraternity as the Vice President. As Vice President, I oversaw the judicial board and the executive council meetings, as well as, functioning as the liaison between the alumni board, parents, and the chapter. As a senior, I moved out of the house and became a live-out member of the fraternity, where I no longer held positions. However, I remained active in the chapter and continued to help foster growth amongst the younger members.
Looking back, joining the house was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I gained a brotherhood of 75+ quality gentlemen, I gained the experience of holding different levels of office, and I gained a stable support system and amazing connections for the rest of my life. Overall, this political structure and the climbing of the office ladder, relates directly to the real world. I have expanded and developed such skills as leadership, facilitation, communication, organization, and others, all directly applicable to CEP, my educational goals, and my further career goals.
As a sophomore, I made the jump into the Executive Council as I was elected to serve as Risk Manager. As Risk Manager, I mitigated risk, looked after the health and safety of my brothers, was responsible for coordinating with security at our events, informing the chapter of dangerous or illegal activity happening around the UW area, and responsible for locking the house down during unsafe instances. When my term was up, I then jumped at the opportunity to become the first Eminent Correspondent. Once elected, I helped create and solidify the position to improve our social media and public relations. I honestly didn’t enjoy being complacent or being out of the executive council. I loved being a part of a group of leaders within the house, working together to make the best decisions we can, with the constant improvement of the house in mind.
As a junior, there was a vote of no confidence for the younger members running for Risk Manager. So I took it upon myself to run again and was elected as Risk Manager a second time. After my second term of Risk Management was completed, I was elected by the chapter to serve the fraternity as the Vice President. As Vice President, I oversaw the judicial board and the executive council meetings, as well as, functioning as the liaison between the alumni board, parents, and the chapter. As a senior, I moved out of the house and became a live-out member of the fraternity, where I no longer held positions. However, I remained active in the chapter and continued to help foster growth amongst the younger members.
Looking back, joining the house was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I gained a brotherhood of 75+ quality gentlemen, I gained the experience of holding different levels of office, and I gained a stable support system and amazing connections for the rest of my life. Overall, this political structure and the climbing of the office ladder, relates directly to the real world. I have expanded and developed such skills as leadership, facilitation, communication, organization, and others, all directly applicable to CEP, my educational goals, and my further career goals.
Senior Project
Original Idea Explanation:
For my senior project, I have decided to focus on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and its application to an urban neighborhood in need of criminal relief. This topic begs the question of: how can urban and environmental design improve safety and deter crime within an urban community? In application, this project would focus on the UW Greek System, specifically the 17th Ave Block, a concentrated region of wealth and crime. The UW Greek System was built over a hundred years ago, centered around an Olmstead median, and has avoided long term structural change, resulting in a crime hotspot. This high traffic area includes several thousands of Greeks, student renters, and permanent residents, creating an interesting public dynamic. However, this community as a whole has been very susceptible to burglaries, muggings, destruction of property, homelessness, and violence. Therefore, this project would take a close look at the structural and environmental design of the area, and through a lens of crime prevention, I believe a design plan can be developed to bring about positive change. Ultimately, analyzing such elements as Access Control, Visibility, Lighting, Natural Surveillance, Territoriality, and more. After a comprehensive site analysis is completed and paired with a crime prevention design synthesize, featuring the most applicable CPTED elements, the end product would be a list of recommendations accompanied by a model explaining the implementation of crime deterrent tactics for the north of 45th community.
Final Project Abstract:
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is an alternative approach to deterring criminal behavior through the application of interdisciplinary design principles within the natural and built environment. This project seeks to pair particular CPTED principles to site-specific residential deficiencies within the neighborhood north of the University of Washington’s Seattle campus. Currently, there is a procedural disconnect between the ideologies of CPTED and their application to existing neighborhoods and criminalities. To effectively merge the gap, this project establishes an evaluation process and develops a corresponding blueprint for changes to be made within the study area. To achieve this end, the project follows three distinct phases comprised of research, fieldwork, and site improvement. Specifically, this scheme uses crime statistics and gauged community perspective to guide street segment evaluations based on predominant components of CPTED. From this assessment, corresponding recommendations are deduced to provide an array of relevant principles to aid in the deterrence of crime. The final product is a report detailing the diagnoses of deficiencies in coordination with a set of recommendations scaled to the parcel and neighborhood level. By aiming the analysis and prescription of principles to the local community, this project functions as a preliminary case study for comprehensible CPTED implementation. Components of CPTED can be readily employed within personal properties, offering an alternative to increased police presence and defensive target hardening, while supporting the development of safer communities and public spaces.
For my senior project, I have decided to focus on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and its application to an urban neighborhood in need of criminal relief. This topic begs the question of: how can urban and environmental design improve safety and deter crime within an urban community? In application, this project would focus on the UW Greek System, specifically the 17th Ave Block, a concentrated region of wealth and crime. The UW Greek System was built over a hundred years ago, centered around an Olmstead median, and has avoided long term structural change, resulting in a crime hotspot. This high traffic area includes several thousands of Greeks, student renters, and permanent residents, creating an interesting public dynamic. However, this community as a whole has been very susceptible to burglaries, muggings, destruction of property, homelessness, and violence. Therefore, this project would take a close look at the structural and environmental design of the area, and through a lens of crime prevention, I believe a design plan can be developed to bring about positive change. Ultimately, analyzing such elements as Access Control, Visibility, Lighting, Natural Surveillance, Territoriality, and more. After a comprehensive site analysis is completed and paired with a crime prevention design synthesize, featuring the most applicable CPTED elements, the end product would be a list of recommendations accompanied by a model explaining the implementation of crime deterrent tactics for the north of 45th community.
Final Project Abstract:
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is an alternative approach to deterring criminal behavior through the application of interdisciplinary design principles within the natural and built environment. This project seeks to pair particular CPTED principles to site-specific residential deficiencies within the neighborhood north of the University of Washington’s Seattle campus. Currently, there is a procedural disconnect between the ideologies of CPTED and their application to existing neighborhoods and criminalities. To effectively merge the gap, this project establishes an evaluation process and develops a corresponding blueprint for changes to be made within the study area. To achieve this end, the project follows three distinct phases comprised of research, fieldwork, and site improvement. Specifically, this scheme uses crime statistics and gauged community perspective to guide street segment evaluations based on predominant components of CPTED. From this assessment, corresponding recommendations are deduced to provide an array of relevant principles to aid in the deterrence of crime. The final product is a report detailing the diagnoses of deficiencies in coordination with a set of recommendations scaled to the parcel and neighborhood level. By aiming the analysis and prescription of principles to the local community, this project functions as a preliminary case study for comprehensible CPTED implementation. Components of CPTED can be readily employed within personal properties, offering an alternative to increased police presence and defensive target hardening, while supporting the development of safer communities and public spaces.
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