Hi there,
Looking back at my last post on this blog, I realize that I had two drafts going to talk about my last day on my trip to Italy. When I think back on that time, almost a year ago now, I am stunned at how much I have grown intellectually since then. So let me catch you up in a few paragraphs, and then I'll get into the real meat of this post--my visit to the University of Minnesota last week to explore their Masters in Urban and Regional Planning Program.
Rewind to last September...The thing that comes to mind is a steep learning curve about myself and my preferences for the kind of life I want to lead. Not at all what I expected from my attendance at an international conference about Slow Food. Excited upon my return, I emailed someone about starting a Slow Food Chapter in Lawrence, and missed the date of a webinar which would have introduced me to the process of getting one going.
Fast-forward to December. I've turned in my applications for the Udall Scholarship and the Harry S. Truman Scholarship (both national, the former to help fund my undergraduate studies, the latter a $30,000 one for the graduate school of my choice in the U.S.). I had been convinced by one of the Honors staff that I should consider applying, especially if I was applying for the McNair Scholars Program (also something I had decided to apply for on a whim because the benefits sounded awesome and would help me even if I didn't decide to go to grad school). As it turns out, I received nominations for both scholarships from KU--they only choose about four students for each--but did not receive either in their full glory. What a shame. Yet going through the process helped me articulate my career goals now that I was at KU and trying to figure out where I would go next. A backup plan as opposed to finding a job full-time turned out to be graduate school, where I might just have the option to continue traveling the globe, learning, and not having to pay for it. Did I mention that I love school?
With regards to McNair, I ended up getting into that program, and also being awarded a research scholarship from the Environmental Studies program to work on the same project. For those of you who are wondering how to fund your education, hit me up and I'll give you some tips. Keeping an open mind will help you gain access to monies that you may have been blind to before.
Fast-forward to January, and I've reached out to the Slow Food chapter of Melbourne to see if they would be interested in taking me on as an unpaid intern through KU the following year. What can I say? I'm a planner at heart. I guess I forgot to mention that I also applied for the Honors program and got in, so I needed a game plan to try to fit all the requirements in with the three remaining semesters (four if you include summer) I had before graduating. The internship idea was a way to get Honors credit in between the fall and spring semesters so that I wouldn't have to take an 18-hour course load. I received a positive response from Slow Food, and decided that I would plan my own internship, live with my sister in Melbourne to save on expenses and, of course, hang out with her, and get someone else to pay for it. The key to success here? Get someone else to pay for it. It's a mantra I've held for quite some time now, and while it requires lots of planning and time spent writing and researching scholarships, it can be quite easy if you are passionate about what you propose to do and can translate that passion through essays and just talking to influential, supportive people. Knowing everyone that is in your support network is also crucial because you know who you can turn to for advice, financial assistance, and a sounding board.
Fast-forward to mid-January and I've finally heard back from some people I got in touch with through an Environmental Studies professor. They were with the Community Agroecology Network (CAN), associated with the University of California, Santa Cruz, and they work on community-based research for coffee-growing communities in Mexico and Nicaragua. Long story short, after having planned about 90% of my research project through McNair to take place in Mexico, I find that travel warnings for other parts of the country from the U.S. Department of State will prohibit me from going to Mexico and accepting funding from KU. Needless to say, I was bummed to the max, but learned a lot about what research opportunities exist in the future and would love to work with CAN at some time in my life. As a back up plan, I decided to interview farmers in the Douglas County/Kansas City Metro area to look at the barriers to entry for young and beginning farmers, as I was still trying to determine whether or not I wanted to become a farmer myself.
In the meantime, I've been emailing professors, educators, employees at environmental education centers, and the like in Melbourne to see if I could come out and work with them as part of an internship. Got some great contacts and the names of a lot of places I need to check out while I'm there. I found that because I'll be there during their Christmas holiday, there will be a week in there that I'm probably going to be on my own.
Before I get too close to the present, I guess I should explain a little more of the McNair activities that I had been working on. In the spring, I took a research methods class that introduced me to what research is, challenged me to come up with a research project and methodology, which I later turned into a proposal, and tasked me with reading an insane amount of scholarly literature to get an idea of what people were already learning in my field.
I had decided back in December when I turned in my scholarship applications that if I were to pursue a masters degree, I would want to do it in Urban Planning? Where the hell did that come from, you ask? I thought you wanted to be a farmer, you must be thinking. Indeed, the desire to become a farmer still very much exists, but what if farming didn't work out? I needed a backup plan. Hence, go further in my education to develop a specific set of skills that couldn't be taught at the undergraduate level, and of course, get someone else to pay for it. Education should not be limited to a few with the resources to pay for it, and if I set an example for nothing else in my life, I hope that I have at least shown others that it is possible to go to school and not have to pay much out of pocket.
Anyways, back to planning. There's a wonderful lady in Lawrence who has the position of Food Systems Coordinator, something I believe is very close to my dream job if I weren't to become a farmer. She gets paid to talk to farmers, chefs, and elementary school kids about where their food comes from, and works at finding ways to create a stronger food system in Douglas County. She gets to work on cool projects like revising zoning codes to make urban agriculture more acceptable at the legal level, and asks for feedback from the community on what priorities are high and what ones don't need attention at the moment. I think I would love this type of work because of the engagement aspect. I want to continue working with farmers, but also be able to put into some long-term vision the thoughts and wishes of the local community. Food is central to our health, and very personal for a lot of people. Especially for those in Kansas, food and farming comprise their life story. I think that if the story is told just right, more people in both rural and urban areas might think twice about the ways that farmers need support.
So let's fast-forward to mid-June, when I've gotten pretty deep into my graduate school research and have discovered that the University of Minnesota offers a McNair Scholars Visitation Day. It's free to attend, you just have to find the means to get there. Cue KU's McNair Scholars Program! I am allotted a stipend for travel that allows me to get reimbursed for my expenses associated with a trip like this. I decided that if given the opportunity to see the University and the city of Minneapolis first-hand, I'm not likely to get reimbursed for my expenses at any other time in my life. Key #2 to success: Always have a little money that you can spend for things like this. I wouldn't have been able to travel to Italy if I hadn't had some money in savings to first spend and then get reimbursed later on.
Recognizing that a trip scheduled for mid-August to Arizona was going to prevent me from visiting my grandpa in Oklahoma, I decided to ask if he would like to join me for a little road trip as an alternative. To my surprise, he said yes right away. :)
What I discovered about Minnesota was not what I anticipated. I had no idea that there could be an equivalent to Colorado up north; yet, that's exactly what it felt like, hiking at Lester Park in Duluth and waking up to crisp 60 degree mornings. For me, the most important part of the graduate school process is finding a place where I feel like I can settle down afterwards and not have to leave right away. Middlebury felt like that. I knew that I would never go back unless it was for school. The town just didn't have enough to keep me interested.
Minneapolis did not disappoint. Whether the built-in infrastructure on the streets for bicycles, the store signs in Spanish, or the tunnel system to get around without having to brace the cold in the winters, there was a lot more going on than I had imagined. The ethnic diversity which surrounded me was unfounded. Wasn't this the Midwest? The food was excellent. I did not have a bad meal while I was there (Thanks again grandpa Jim). The flora made me happy. The medians were filled with bright yellow and purple wildflowers, and the conifers and aspens made me feel like I was in the mountains. It reminded me of Vermont, where even the weeds were beautiful. I'm sorry to my fellow Kansans reading this who love the prairie. I'm just not sure it's my thing.
All in all, I would say that the University of Minnesota ranks high on my list of grad schools. I was disappointed in the quality of the facility for my program on campus, but the rest of it was beautiful. Really just impressive in size and the way that it's so well designed for pedestrians, bikes, and public transportation systems. The underground tunnel system was also pretty kick-ass. I've posted a few photos below for your viewing pleasure. As I write this, I'm actually sitting in the kitchen of one of my best friends in Prescott, Arizona, where I'll be for the next six days. I've been needing to catch up with her and a break from all the school hubbub. As I munch on my overnight oats and sip my peppermint tea, I'm already off to a wonderful start.
Until next time! I'm hoping to post sooner rather than later with insights from my Arizona trip. I may also include a list of the restaurants that I went to in Minneapolis for your reference. :)
Looking back at my last post on this blog, I realize that I had two drafts going to talk about my last day on my trip to Italy. When I think back on that time, almost a year ago now, I am stunned at how much I have grown intellectually since then. So let me catch you up in a few paragraphs, and then I'll get into the real meat of this post--my visit to the University of Minnesota last week to explore their Masters in Urban and Regional Planning Program.
Rewind to last September...The thing that comes to mind is a steep learning curve about myself and my preferences for the kind of life I want to lead. Not at all what I expected from my attendance at an international conference about Slow Food. Excited upon my return, I emailed someone about starting a Slow Food Chapter in Lawrence, and missed the date of a webinar which would have introduced me to the process of getting one going.
Fast-forward to December. I've turned in my applications for the Udall Scholarship and the Harry S. Truman Scholarship (both national, the former to help fund my undergraduate studies, the latter a $30,000 one for the graduate school of my choice in the U.S.). I had been convinced by one of the Honors staff that I should consider applying, especially if I was applying for the McNair Scholars Program (also something I had decided to apply for on a whim because the benefits sounded awesome and would help me even if I didn't decide to go to grad school). As it turns out, I received nominations for both scholarships from KU--they only choose about four students for each--but did not receive either in their full glory. What a shame. Yet going through the process helped me articulate my career goals now that I was at KU and trying to figure out where I would go next. A backup plan as opposed to finding a job full-time turned out to be graduate school, where I might just have the option to continue traveling the globe, learning, and not having to pay for it. Did I mention that I love school?
With regards to McNair, I ended up getting into that program, and also being awarded a research scholarship from the Environmental Studies program to work on the same project. For those of you who are wondering how to fund your education, hit me up and I'll give you some tips. Keeping an open mind will help you gain access to monies that you may have been blind to before.
Fast-forward to January, and I've reached out to the Slow Food chapter of Melbourne to see if they would be interested in taking me on as an unpaid intern through KU the following year. What can I say? I'm a planner at heart. I guess I forgot to mention that I also applied for the Honors program and got in, so I needed a game plan to try to fit all the requirements in with the three remaining semesters (four if you include summer) I had before graduating. The internship idea was a way to get Honors credit in between the fall and spring semesters so that I wouldn't have to take an 18-hour course load. I received a positive response from Slow Food, and decided that I would plan my own internship, live with my sister in Melbourne to save on expenses and, of course, hang out with her, and get someone else to pay for it. The key to success here? Get someone else to pay for it. It's a mantra I've held for quite some time now, and while it requires lots of planning and time spent writing and researching scholarships, it can be quite easy if you are passionate about what you propose to do and can translate that passion through essays and just talking to influential, supportive people. Knowing everyone that is in your support network is also crucial because you know who you can turn to for advice, financial assistance, and a sounding board.
Fast-forward to mid-January and I've finally heard back from some people I got in touch with through an Environmental Studies professor. They were with the Community Agroecology Network (CAN), associated with the University of California, Santa Cruz, and they work on community-based research for coffee-growing communities in Mexico and Nicaragua. Long story short, after having planned about 90% of my research project through McNair to take place in Mexico, I find that travel warnings for other parts of the country from the U.S. Department of State will prohibit me from going to Mexico and accepting funding from KU. Needless to say, I was bummed to the max, but learned a lot about what research opportunities exist in the future and would love to work with CAN at some time in my life. As a back up plan, I decided to interview farmers in the Douglas County/Kansas City Metro area to look at the barriers to entry for young and beginning farmers, as I was still trying to determine whether or not I wanted to become a farmer myself.
In the meantime, I've been emailing professors, educators, employees at environmental education centers, and the like in Melbourne to see if I could come out and work with them as part of an internship. Got some great contacts and the names of a lot of places I need to check out while I'm there. I found that because I'll be there during their Christmas holiday, there will be a week in there that I'm probably going to be on my own.
Before I get too close to the present, I guess I should explain a little more of the McNair activities that I had been working on. In the spring, I took a research methods class that introduced me to what research is, challenged me to come up with a research project and methodology, which I later turned into a proposal, and tasked me with reading an insane amount of scholarly literature to get an idea of what people were already learning in my field.
I had decided back in December when I turned in my scholarship applications that if I were to pursue a masters degree, I would want to do it in Urban Planning? Where the hell did that come from, you ask? I thought you wanted to be a farmer, you must be thinking. Indeed, the desire to become a farmer still very much exists, but what if farming didn't work out? I needed a backup plan. Hence, go further in my education to develop a specific set of skills that couldn't be taught at the undergraduate level, and of course, get someone else to pay for it. Education should not be limited to a few with the resources to pay for it, and if I set an example for nothing else in my life, I hope that I have at least shown others that it is possible to go to school and not have to pay much out of pocket.
Anyways, back to planning. There's a wonderful lady in Lawrence who has the position of Food Systems Coordinator, something I believe is very close to my dream job if I weren't to become a farmer. She gets paid to talk to farmers, chefs, and elementary school kids about where their food comes from, and works at finding ways to create a stronger food system in Douglas County. She gets to work on cool projects like revising zoning codes to make urban agriculture more acceptable at the legal level, and asks for feedback from the community on what priorities are high and what ones don't need attention at the moment. I think I would love this type of work because of the engagement aspect. I want to continue working with farmers, but also be able to put into some long-term vision the thoughts and wishes of the local community. Food is central to our health, and very personal for a lot of people. Especially for those in Kansas, food and farming comprise their life story. I think that if the story is told just right, more people in both rural and urban areas might think twice about the ways that farmers need support.
So let's fast-forward to mid-June, when I've gotten pretty deep into my graduate school research and have discovered that the University of Minnesota offers a McNair Scholars Visitation Day. It's free to attend, you just have to find the means to get there. Cue KU's McNair Scholars Program! I am allotted a stipend for travel that allows me to get reimbursed for my expenses associated with a trip like this. I decided that if given the opportunity to see the University and the city of Minneapolis first-hand, I'm not likely to get reimbursed for my expenses at any other time in my life. Key #2 to success: Always have a little money that you can spend for things like this. I wouldn't have been able to travel to Italy if I hadn't had some money in savings to first spend and then get reimbursed later on.
Recognizing that a trip scheduled for mid-August to Arizona was going to prevent me from visiting my grandpa in Oklahoma, I decided to ask if he would like to join me for a little road trip as an alternative. To my surprise, he said yes right away. :)
What I discovered about Minnesota was not what I anticipated. I had no idea that there could be an equivalent to Colorado up north; yet, that's exactly what it felt like, hiking at Lester Park in Duluth and waking up to crisp 60 degree mornings. For me, the most important part of the graduate school process is finding a place where I feel like I can settle down afterwards and not have to leave right away. Middlebury felt like that. I knew that I would never go back unless it was for school. The town just didn't have enough to keep me interested.
Minneapolis did not disappoint. Whether the built-in infrastructure on the streets for bicycles, the store signs in Spanish, or the tunnel system to get around without having to brace the cold in the winters, there was a lot more going on than I had imagined. The ethnic diversity which surrounded me was unfounded. Wasn't this the Midwest? The food was excellent. I did not have a bad meal while I was there (Thanks again grandpa Jim). The flora made me happy. The medians were filled with bright yellow and purple wildflowers, and the conifers and aspens made me feel like I was in the mountains. It reminded me of Vermont, where even the weeds were beautiful. I'm sorry to my fellow Kansans reading this who love the prairie. I'm just not sure it's my thing.
All in all, I would say that the University of Minnesota ranks high on my list of grad schools. I was disappointed in the quality of the facility for my program on campus, but the rest of it was beautiful. Really just impressive in size and the way that it's so well designed for pedestrians, bikes, and public transportation systems. The underground tunnel system was also pretty kick-ass. I've posted a few photos below for your viewing pleasure. As I write this, I'm actually sitting in the kitchen of one of my best friends in Prescott, Arizona, where I'll be for the next six days. I've been needing to catch up with her and a break from all the school hubbub. As I munch on my overnight oats and sip my peppermint tea, I'm already off to a wonderful start.
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| Hiawatha lake? Or one close to it. |
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| Lake Superior in Duluth |
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| Also on Lake Superior |
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| Cool lighthouse! |
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| Our view from Canal Park |
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| Creek in Lester Park |
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| Grandpa Jim in Lester Park |
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| Yours truly, wondering if this is really happening |
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| Cool building on campus |
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| Weisman Museum, also on campus |
Until next time! I'm hoping to post sooner rather than later with insights from my Arizona trip. I may also include a list of the restaurants that I went to in Minneapolis for your reference. :)
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