Alumni Profiles
Where are our Urban Studies graduates today?
The testimonials below are from students who have graduated from the Urban Studies Program in the past few years - they are working and studying in a diverse range of fields - and we are proud of all of their successes!
Alexis
Had it not been for the Urban Studies Program (which I graduated from in 2006), I am certain that my academic, professional and personal paths would have been different. The flexible course selections introduced me to urban geography and prepared me for graduate work with the University of Toronto's Department of Geography and Planning, while the diverse student body attracted to the program's multidisciplinary approach made for classroom dialogue that encourages me to approach content from multiple perspectives. In my final year of the program, enrolled in the 'Urban Experiential Seminar', I was provided with the opportunity to work with the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), an organization that aims to spark and support new ideas that are tackling the social, environmental, economic and cultural challenges we face today, partly through co-locating a range of nonprofit enterprises. In my role at the CSI, I conducted a needs assessment of the local nonprofit community which informed the strategic expansion plans of the organization. The practical experience gained during the internship proved invaluable in obtaining future employment with both academic and community organizations.
The models of community capacity building and effective collaboration that I was introduced to at the CSI would prove to be the impetus for founding the Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space (STEPS) Initiative. The STEPS Initiative is a group of artists, activists, architects, and academics, collectively promoting sustainable and community-centred public spaces. STEPS is committed to using art to challenge and change the ways in which public spaces are currently being used, especially in urban environments. I still maintain a relationship with the CSI, and they are a current sponsor of the STEPS Initiative. In many ways, my undergraduate learning sparked an unquenchable curiosity for understanding the ways in which urban systems function in diverse contexts, and identifying the unexpected ways in which cross-learnings and collaboration are possible. To date, I have traveled to over thirty nations and hundreds of cities, always reflecting on how local social and physical environments fit into the larger urban system.
Alison
I graduated from the Urban Studies program in June 2009. I graduated at a time where the economy was at its lowest point. I, along with many of my peers, were extremely nervous about facing the "real world". Fortunately, in my last year at UofT, I was placed in an urban studies course that would ease my transition. This course combined theory with practice, allowing us to learn in a small and intimate classroom, as well as learning outside in the workforce. Every week, we were placed in a councillor's office or non-profit organization for 8 hours, where we could not only put our theories into practice, but also learn in an environment that no textbook or classroom can provide.
I was placed in a non-profit organization in Regent Park. At that time, I had only heard bad things about Regent Park and did not know what to expect. Ironically, working in that community has been one of the best things that has happened to me. I am now a full-time employee at my organization and my regular tasks include program and event coordination, as well as writing reports and funding proposals. My proudest day at work was the day my proposal received a grant of $50,000 from a private foundation. I was exhilarated, not only because of my own success in writing a good proposal, but also because I knew the money would benefit people that really needed it. I love working with communities and I know that the non-profit sector is a place I want to stay in for a long time. If I hadn't participated in that urban studies course, I would not have found my passion and purpose at such a young age.
Patrick
I graduated from U of T in 2008 after completing majors in Geography and Urban Studies. Since receiving my degree, I have been based at the Rotman School's Martin Prosperity Institute as a research associate. At the MPI I conduct and support research on regional economic growth, the (creative" economy, and early childhood education. I continue my academic career in the fall as a Master's student at U of T's Geography Department.
I credit Urban Studies for my development as a student and researcher of cities. The program connected me to useful courses which have helped me develop my own research interests, but much more it connected me with the social networks that have allowed me to actually do research for a living.
Ayushman
I graduated in 2009 with a double major in Urban Studies and Sociology. The most significant benefit of choosing the Urban Studies program was that I left with the invaluable ability to think out of the box. The multidisciplinary perspectives through which I studied the dynamics of our urban environment engaged me as a citizen, historian, sociologist, among many other areas that appealed to me. This is because the program gave me the chance to wander off, get lost but also find a sense of purpose and direction at the same time.
The INI 437 class provided me with a unique opportunity to apply my academic knowledge into a professional setting. I was fortunate enough to be placed in a thoroughly enjoyable nonprofit, at Evergreen, where tasks ranged from writing reports to waking up on cold October mornings to do field work. Mundane, administrative duties were also part of the job,and keeping a journal of all these tasks in class did not seem to make any sense at the time, but these steps have been instrumental to my consolidating a diligent and organized work ethic today.
Tiffany
As an Architectural Studies and Urban Studies student at U of T, I took a wide range of interdisciplinary courses, ranging from macro/micro design theory, architectural and urban history, practical design studios, politics, sociology and geography. In 2008-2009, I had the good fortune of taking the Urban Studies Urban Experiential Learning course, and I was placed at the Toronto City Summit Alliance (TCSA).
Like the issues covered in Urban Studies, the TCSA tackles a broad range of social, economic and environmental issues, and involves stakeholders from the private, public and non-profit realms. In my role as an intern, I had a chance to see leadership in action, the impacts of collective action, and the real-life efforts of collaboration between sometimes competing organizations in order to meet a common goal. My internship was enhanced with the in-class component of the course, where we were able to share experiences, learn from each other, and were encouraged to reflect thoughtfully on our experiences.
Since completing the internship, I have stayed on at the TCSA, and taken on an environmental project. Through my work, I've had a glimpse at how different sectors work, what motivates people, and how decisions are made. I think this is a great way to get exposure to working with different urban issues while I decide what further education to pursue.
Jordan
As a student in the Urban Studies program from 2005 to 2008, I experienced a practical, multidisciplinary approach to the study of cities that has helped immensely in the education and career decisions I've made since. My first work experience in the field came through the experiential learning course, where I interned at the Canadian Urban Institute. The small program size and access to faculty encouraged me to get involved more deeply with the program and URSSU, and led to exciting research opportunities with faculty in Urban Studies and Geography that I wouldn't have received elsewhere.
The flexibility and diversity of the program also allowed me to pursue my specific interests in economic geography and public policy. These interests led me to a Masters in Local Economic Development from the University of Waterloo, and employment with the economic development consulting firm Millier Dickinson Blais, where I get the chance to apply what I've learned in cities and communities throughout Ontario and Canada. The knowledge and experience I gained in the Urban Studies program was instrumental to those achievements.
Erica
The Urban Studies Program was challenging and rewarding. My professors and instructors allowed me to succeed in my academic endeavours, and directly contributed to receiving U of T's 2009/2010 Woman of Influence award, as well as an athlete-scholar Silver T award (both excellence in academics and athletics honours). The internship portion of the Urban Studies program exposed me to the environmental curriculum of urban studies, helping me to cultivate one of my passions. In addition to the curriculum taught in class, my professors frequently had various projects on the side, balancing a well-rounded lifestyle. The way they dealt with the students and their model-balanced lifestyle influenced my attitude towards my own life. They taught me to pursue my passions in every pocket of life; it was helpful for me to not just be passionate about school but other areas of life as well. My plans post-graduation include trying out for a professional soccer team in Italy and pursuing a Master's degree in urban planning.
Stephanie
After graduating from the Urban Studies program at the University of Toronto in 2008, I began work as a Junior Planner at one of Toronto's leading planning and urban design firms. As a Junior Planner some of my responsibilities include: preparing and submitting various development applications, researching and analyzing sites for development feasibility, writing reports such as Planning Rationales, Due Diligence Reports and Functional Planning Studies, as well as assisting the partners in the firm in preparing for Ontario Municipal Board hearings.
Within the Urban Studies program, I chose courses that I felt had a strong connection to urban planning both within the City of Toronto and within surrounding municipalities. The small class sizes allowed for a lot of interaction between classmates and professors, which in turn allowed me to learn about many issues and events taking place within the Greater Toronto Area that I may not have otherwise known about. This, along with my internship with the City of Toronto City Planning division, enabled me to be confident about the direction I wanted to take the start of my career after graduation.
Chriselle
The Urban Studies Program at the University of Toronto provides the opportunity to engage in an interdisciplinary field of studies. With an initial focus on theories and learning about the sociology and development of cities, my final year culminated with an Experiential Learning internship.
The internship was truly a life changing experience for me as it made me aware of the actual life within the neighbourhoods in the City of Toronto. I was able to combine my two majors, Criminology and Urban Studies, as I engaged with members from the priority areas in Toronto. My internship made me realize that in order to better understand a city and enhance its condition, I would need to observe its unique characteristics and factors that influence it. Such an experience during my internship made me curious about other cities and encouraged me to observe other cultures and places. This was part of the reason why I accepted an offer to teach English in South Korea for a year. My stay in South Korea has allowed me to observe the variables that influence a city and its residents, and also allows me to see how a rural town functions differently from an urban area.
My experience also inspired the research that I am about to pursue in my SSHRC-funded Masters degree. Furthermore, knowledge gained during my involvement in the Urban Studies program has motivated me to pursue a career in community development, especially one that incorporates the perspectives of a community's residents.
All together the experience during my internship along with the seminars during my final year of undergraduate studies was a very rewarding end to my university career and an inspirational beginning to my career.
David
University of Toronto's Urban Studies Program, from which I graduated in 2006, introduced me to a diverse range of academic topics which helped shape my future career in urban planning. The program allowed me to participate in the internship course where I was able to get hands on experience in the urban planning field. Having the opportunity to get real-world working experience not only helped me be sure I was choosing the right career path, it also proved invaluable when I applied to my first professional job after completing graduate school. Currently I work for the Korean office of a Canadian development consulting firm helping master plan mixed-use projects. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities that were given to me through the Urban Studies Program's close-knit and supportive learning environment and am positive my time here greatly accelerated my career.
Jennifer
Being part of the Urban Studies Program has provided me with valuable learning opportunities and skills that have helped prepare me for graduate school as well as the workforce. The Urban Studies Program helped me to develop my interest in cities and urban spaces which led me to pursue graduate school in Urban Planning at Ryerson University. The knowledge and learning experience that I gained in this program provided me with a strong foundation to build on and draw from.
Additionally, the Urban Studies Internship program helped me better understand the work environment. I was able to learn about the way the workplace functions, interact with co-workers and develop my skills that would prepared me for future jobs. I learned to be professional and complete work at a high level. I owe much thanks to the Urban Studies Program for providing me with the knowledge, support and opportunity to become successful in graduate school and my future career in planning.
Tony
My journey at the University of Toronto began in 2006. I initially entered into the social science and humanities program stream, with no clear direction of what field of study I wanted to pursue. Four years later, I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Geography, and minoring in Urban Studies and Political Science. This September, I will begin studies in pursuit of a Masters in Planning degree, with the hope of finding a career as an urban planner or as a policy analyst after graduation.
The Urban Studies Program at Innis College has played a significant role in helping me navigate my future. One of the many advantages of the program is its interdisciplinary nature, allowing students to enrol in a variety of courses in various departments, including Geography, Political Science, and Environmental Studies. As a Geography student, my course selection had long been tilted towards urban-related Geography courses. The Urban Studies Program, however, complemented my Geography major by providing me with a more holistic and rounded university experience. I also found the Program to be very small and close-knit, which fostered closer interaction with faculty members, and classes that often took the form of seminar discussions.
Perhaps the most valuable part of the Urban Studies Program for me was my enrolment in the Urban Experiential Learning course with Professor Shauna Brail. Through this course, I secured an internship placement with Toronto's Planning Department and had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working directly with City Planning staff. I also had the privilege of travelling to New York City with my professor and classmates. Seeing first-hand how a city as great as New York functions was an eye-opening experience that helped reinforce my fascination with urban life. It also introduced me to the wonders of travelling - something I had done little of until this point - and has spurred my desire to explore cities across the globe. Indeed, it was this internship course as a whole that most influenced my decision to pursue graduate research in Urban Planning. The Urban Studies Program has certainly been a formative part of my university experience, and it will continue to have a positive influence in the future as I embark upon other academic, career, and personal endeavours.
Melissa
I graduated in 2009 with an undergraduate concentration in economics and urban studies. I then joined Teach for America, which is a program that prepares and supports recent college graduates to raise student achievement in low income schools. I did not attend university with the goal of becoming a teacher, nor was it obvious to me how my programs of study would support my first career move. Throughout my first year of teaching, I have gained a unique perspective on how my matriculation through the Urban Studies program has contributed to my development as a professional high school math teacher.
The Teach for America program has been instrumental in coaching me on how to use data to drive instruction, plan and execute daily lessons, and incorporate best pedagogical practices into my classroom. The University of Toronto's Urban Studies program has trained me to think critically about my day to day teaching realities through a public policy lens. I teach at a school that experiences de facto segregation and which has an attendance rate hovering around 50 percent. The Urban Studies program including INI235, JGI216, and INI437 developed an understanding of a wide range of structural barriers faced by low income neighborhoods including limited access to public transportation, urban violence, demographic trends, current educational attainment levels, and discriminatory public housing policies. In the Urban Studies Internship Program Course (INI 437Y), I interned with the Canadian Urban Institute where I participated in several urban policy forums and seminars which addressed these same issues. My extensive knowledge of low income communities has helped me not to make excuses for my students but to focus on the importance of my mission as an educator.
In addition to teaching, I have been attending graduate courses at American University. In another year I will have earned a Masters in Education with an emphasis in secondary mathematics. The academic rigor of the Urban Studies program has provided strong foundations for my success in these courses including my most recent course Legal Issues in Education. Not only did the Urban Studies Program prepare me for success in graduate course work, it also supported my application process to the Teach for America program. For example, in INI437 we were required to act as a consultant for our internship placement site. During the competitive Teach for America selection process I was asked to act as a hypothetical consultant for a failing school.
A year of teaching has provided a new opportunity to reflect on my undergraduate education and the extent to which the Urban Studies program prepared me for first year of teaching. At this point in time I plan to teach beyond my two year Teach for America program commitment. Teaching is hard but incredibly rewarding work and there is tremendous opportunity for professional development and growth as a leader. Several years down the road I hope to apply my teaching experience to shape education policy which is key to creating vibrant urban regions.
Julia
I graduated in 2010 with a double major in Urban Studies and Geography at the University of Toronto. Through the Urban Studies program, I was able to explore my interests in civic engagement, social change, public policy and the economic development of urban regions. The small class sizes were conducive to interdisciplinary learning and enabled valuable interaction with faculty and other students.
In my final year, I was able to apply the skills and knowledge I had learned to my internship at the Toronto City Summit Alliance ("the Alliance"), a multi-sectoral coalition working to meet the Toronto region's challenges. As an intern at the Alliance, I had incredible opportunities to interact with leaders from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and see how they were influencing and shaping the urban agenda.
The classroom discussions and facilitated reflection in the Urban Experiential Learning course (INI437) helped me better understand and make the most of my internship experience. After graduating in June 2010, I began working full-time for the Alliance as a Project Officer for the DiverseCity and Emerging Leaders Network initiatives. I am thrilled to be supporting the development of Toronto's next generation of civic leaders.
Stephanie
It was through the Urban Studies Program at the University of Toronto that I found my passion for community and land use planning. I graduated from the program in June 2009 with a concentration in Urban Studies, Environmental Ethics and Art History. Before discovering my passion for Urban Studies, I pursued a variety of disciplines including Architecture and Commerce. The theoretical foundations and work experience that the Urban Studies program has provided me certainly helped me transition into the "real world".
I am currently completing a Masters degree in Environmental Studies in Planning at York University. I am eager to begin my career in community planning and help make a difference in society.
Claire
I graduated in 2007 with a major in Urban Studies and minors in Art History and Visual Arts. In 2008 I began a Master of Architecture degree at Columbia University. The Master of Architecture program is interesting because it consists of a mix of students with varied experiences and education in the field. The range of the students' educational backgrounds is wide-- from physics, musical composition and public policy to visual arts and engineering. Architecture is inherently interdisciplinary, and my Urban Studies background provides me with an extremely solid and versatile foundation allowing me to best tackle urban issues.
The Architecture program at Columbia is unique for considering a wide range of concepts that are not conventionally deemed 'architecture'. Several of my projects have been at the scale of the city. For instance, I designed a new urban model in Queens, NYC for 5,000 units of housing and functioning services. My current studio is involved with the crossroads of design and identity in contemporary Russia. I have just returned from site visits in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where I will be "inventing" new urban models in response to the context. My project draws upon ideas conceived by the Russian Constructivists in the first half of the 20th Century, which were stifled by the Soviet regime.
I will graduate in the spring of 2011 and I intend to move to Poland and continue my pursuits in architecture as well as spend time on personal projects.
David
I am currently working as a geographer/cartographer at St. Michael's Hospital on Bio Diaspora - a project where we look at global patterns of human travel through airline networks, and how these patterns affect the spread and risks of infectious diseases. I have been working at the hospital full-time for over a year, and it has been an educational and eye-opening experience.
The majority of my work involves producing web maps and presentation maps for publications which show relationships between passenger volumes around the world, connections between cities and airports, the environment, animal populations, and economic and health indicators. I also do more general visual design work for the project as a whole.
One project that we are working on is a report detailing Canada's reaction to H1N1, and whether the media influenced air travel and passenger volumes to and from Mexico. This research project is currently being completed and will be the second report that I have helped to publish. My current work relates to global health planning and infectious disease prevention and I am thrilled to have played such a significant role in the visualization and data interpretation aspects of this project.
I am looking to pursue graduate studies next year either in Architecture or in the Masters of Planning in Urban Design program through the geography department at the University of Toronto.
Ioannis
I am proud to have been a U of T Urban Studies Program student (2008 graduate). One of the things I particularly enjoyed about the Program is its consistency with my belief that one can always aim higher and higher. The program and its dedicated staff urge you to continuously challenge your limits and do better.
Its admission requirements mean that only a few select applicants are admitted each year. Having cleared the bar for admission to this highly competitive program automatically makes you stand out. And this is just the beginning.
The internship with the City of Toronto Mayor's Office provided me with the much needed experience to apply for policy development positions with the municipal level of government. A year after my internship, and before even graduating, I landed a summer Junior Policy Analyst position with the Fleet Services Division of the City of Toronto, where I worked to green the City's vehicle fleet.
In 2009, I joined the Ontario Ministry of the Environment as a Policy Analyst Intern, through the highly competitive Ontario Internship Program. As of 2010, I have been a Policy and Decision Analyst with the Office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, an independent officer of the Ontario Legislative Assembly overseeing prescribed ministries compliance with applicable law.
Looking into the future, I am planning to use the strong academic foundations the Urban Studies Program provided me with and pursue post-graduate studies. Yes, Urban Studies graduates aim high indeed.