Tell us a little about yourself:
I am originally from and still currently reside in the Roslindale neighborhood in Boston, MA
My summer ‘23 role as a transit priority project management intern at the MBTA helped fuel a desire to improve the living conditions of people in cities, collaborating with other knowledgeable professionals and learning how to communicate with at-risk commuters faced with transit challenges. My responsibilities as an intern included conducting public outreach surveys on ridership feedback of bus lane speeds, assisting project managers on data entry, and conducting research and site visits for high-traffic areas of Metro-Boston in which the MBTA designates as necessary for bus lane implementation.
Why did you choose Suffolk?
I’m pursuing a degree in Economics because I want the skills necessary to understand how we can make living in Boston, and cities around the world, more affordable, by gathering trends in markets and understanding how policy impacts what can physically be built around us.
I chose Suffolk for its relevance in social and political sciences, along with its location being a quick commute from my home.
What projects were the most significant for you?
My Senior Capstone on researching The Costs of Suburbanization and Sprawl has been the most profound project for me because it challenged me to conduct research in Urban Planning and make Economic sense of it.
Are there any faculty members who significantly affected your experience?
I would consider Jonathan Houghton, my advisor and director of the Economics Department, as a mentor because he always challenges me to think bigger and to find the passion for understanding every intricate detail of the world around us.
What's next for you?
My future goals are to pursue a master’s degree in urban planning, and then become an urban planner for various municipalities around the world. In the far future, I would love to become a professor in urban planning and to develop the next generation of thinkers and doers of positive change in their cities' environments.
My economics degree at Suffolk has shown me how to use practical programs such as Rstudio, ArcGIS, and Excel, which are important skills to have for many job positions. These programs help to collect specific metrics and display trends in which we can change certain features of our decisions. My experiences in this degree field have also prepared me to verbally present my work in a professional environment.