Reflecting on my Congress for the New Urbanism Fellowship by Grecia White

September 1, 2021

By Grecia White

Reflect on the summer, your work, and the fellows program

This summer was quite the experience. Being a fellow with CNU allowed me to fund my research project, meet two other student fellows and get to know CNU board members as well as gain a better understanding of the organization. 

I was able to work on a research project fully designed and implemented by me that also focused on a topic of my choosing. Never before had I had such freedom over my schedule and tasks while also being funded and supported throughout the process. This was my first time taking on such a project from start to finish with virtually no accountability, but rather guidance from the CNU board and peer to peer support. 

Being awarded with this fellowship gave me a huge boost of confidence because it felt so validating to have other people believe in my project enough to fund it and support me throughout the process.

Being a fellow with CNU also allowed me to meet Mridhu and Aiyah, the other two fellows whose areas of interest are much different than mine, but whom I learned so much from. I had dabbled in environmentalism as an undergrad, but Mridhu introduced me to deeper layers of the movement such as green colonialism and emancipated consumers. Aiyah blew us all away with his engaging way of explaining complex ideas and making us ask ourselves deeper questions about our beliefs regarding financial models, capitalism and society.   

Even though my project is now complete, it feels as if that was only half the battle and the next half is to communicate the findings with others in a way that resonates with them. I'm happy to share that I had the chance to present my work at the Modernizing Rail Conference this past week and also to a transit planner in Cambridge who reached out after seeing one of the safety audit posters himself at a bus stop. 

I’m grateful to have had a cohort as well as the opportunity to get to know the CNU board and attend this year’s Congress. I look forward to meeting next year's cohort and continue learning from my peers working toward improving our urban environments.