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Career Center and HUPO Host Career Events

On February 28, GSD Career Services hosted the second annual Planning Careers Expo. Eleven public, private, and nonprofit agencies—including the US State Department, Boston Redevelopment Authority, Preservation of Affordable Housing, and Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates—set up shop in the porticos to meet students interested in jobs and summer internships in the planning fields. Nine of the organizations were represented by GSD alumni. “It was wonderful to see graduates return to campus, engaged in seeing each other and connecting with current students,” said Meryl Golden, director of Career Services. “There was great feedback on the caliber of students and enthusiasm for bringing students into internships as well as jobs.”

Tom Skwierawski (MUP ’14) was encouraged by the career expo, “I went into it wondering what I’m going to do after graduation, and left with a clearer picture of the many ways in which planners can enact positive change on the built environment.”

A few weeks earlier on February 7, Career Services and the Harvard Urban Planning Organization hosted a summer internship information session. Second-year MUP students recounted their summer internship experiences and offered tips on searching for positions, securing funding, and using the resources offered by Career Services.

“It was great to hear more about how MUPs spent their summer and get some pretty candid feedback about their work with an impressive range of agencies, nonprofits, and companies,” said Jon Springfield (MUP ’15). He hopes to stay in the Boston area for the summer, potentially building on a January externship with Boston Department of Neighborhood Development.

Jeenal Sawla (MUP ’15) was encouraged by the variety of positions possible for summer internships. “Even geographically, it was great to the see the opportunities and the learning people had from across the globe, ranging from Rio to Palestine to Beijing,” she said. Sawla is still unsure of her summer plans, but hopes to work in New York or San Francisco.