Arthur Miranda

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning (Land Use)

Hometown: Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil

Talk to Me About: Coming back to school after working, Biking/Running in Atlanta

Arthur is a first-year graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program. He grew up in Brazil before coming to the U.S. during High School. After going to Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt, Arthur worked in public accounting in Tulsa for four years. In his free time, he likes to read, run, bike, play tennis, and try new restaurants in the Atlanta area. He spends most of his time listening to podcasts and dreams of someday meeting Ira Glass.

David Losson

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City & Regional Planning (Economic Development & Transportation)

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Talk to Me About: Economic Development, Real Estate & Planning, Transportation Planning

David is a first-year graduate student in the Master's of City & Regional Planning program. Originally from Dallas, Texas, David pursued his Bachelor's in Environment & Sustainability and Business from Sewanee: the University of the South where he graduated in 2018. After graduating, David lived and worked abroad in several countries including Italy, Israel, and Myanmar. In 2020, he returned to the US and held a variety of roles in real estate sales, policy advocacy, and private urban planning. David is interested in economic development strategies that are responsive to transportation and infrastructure investments.

Dylan Whitlow

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning (Transportation)

Hometown: Elberton, GA

Talk to me about: transportation, changing careers, graduate research assistantships, hiking/cycling/veganism

Dylan is a first-year graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program. He grew up in a small town in Northeast Georgia, but went to the Pacific Northwest for college. After studying Math and Computer Science at Reed College and the University of Washington, he worked as a software engineer. When his future wife completed her PhD, they thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail together. He also loves bike touring and Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Dylan is skeptical of any claim that technology can fix inherently social or political problems and believes that existing low-tech solutions are usually preferable over hypothetical high-tech ones. He is vegan. It will probabaly come up.

Ethan Knight-Scott

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning & Master of Public Policy

Hometown: Tyrone, Georgia

Talk to Me About: Graduate Research Assistantships, Financial/Scholarship Opportunities, Dual Degree with Policy, Coming Directly from Undergrad, Being a Black Student/Student of Color, Metro Atlanta, GIS, International Affairs

Ethan is a third-year dual, Master of City and Regional Planning and Master of Public Policy student at the School of City and Regional Planning. He wants to be available to answer questions any prospective dual-degree policy students may have.

Eve Murphy

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning (Land Use)

Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona

Talk to Me About: Anything

Eve is a first-year graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program. Eve grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and moved across the country during her senior year of high school to start completely over in Georgia. In May of 2023, she graduated from the University of Georgia with a BS in Health Promotion and a minor in Global Health. Before coming into the program, Eve interned with the City of Decatur where she gained experience in writing policy and working within a city governance. When not studying, you can find Eve exploring new restaurants, playing with her dog, and scrolling Pinterest to find new crafts. She enjoys vintage and thrift shopping and is consistently amazed to explore the ways a new city changes her and the people she meets. Eve has always been interested in researching and exploring the overlap between healthy cities and is currently furthering this interest as a GRA at Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development, a first-year representative for the Student Planning Association, and an MCRP student with a focus on land use.

Hanh Huynh

Pursued Degree(s): Master of Science in Geographic Information Science and Technology

Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama

Talk to Me About: Pursuing an MS-GIST Degree after a non-traditional degree (such as Political Science or Philosophy), Working an Internship during the program, Commuting via MARTA/train/bus or driving, Living outside of the city, Atlanta Metro area

Hanh Huynh is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Science in Geographic Information Science and Technology program. She obtained a Political Science and a Philosophy degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Hanh’s interest in GIS was sparked by studying the effects of policies such as redlining on the health outcomes of individuals in cities like her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Upon graduating, she worked at her health department on overdose prevention and assisted the GIS team with mapping-related tasks. She currently works as a GIS intern performing geodatabase maintenance and other GIS tasks for a non-profit focused on planting and maintaining trees in Atlanta. Her interests lie at the nexus of the environment and marginalized communities throughout the South. Hanh moved to Atlanta and stays in the metro area near Buford Highway to be closer to the region's vibrant Asian communities and businesses. For fun, Hanh enjoys cooking, art, reading, and walking.

Helena Lindsay

Pursued Degree(s): Master of Geographic Information Science & Technology & Master of Science in Urban Analytics

Hometown: Yokohama, Japan

Talk to Me About: International Student Experience, Graduate Research Assistantships, Being a Student-Athlete, Geospatial Data Analytics, Intersection of Technology and Planning, Course Selection

Helena is currently pursuing dual Master's degrees in Geographic Information Science and Technology (MS-GIST) and Urban Analytics (MSUA). Originally Japanese and Australian, she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia. As a student-athlete, Helena specializes in the 3000m steeplechase and has even qualified for the NCAAs. Her focus and passion lie in utilizing geospatial data analytics to address and solve complex problems.

Hina Ahmed

Pursued Degree(s): PhD in City and Regional Planning

Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan

Talk to Me About: What to expect in the first year of the program

Hina is a first-year Ph.D. student in City and Regional Planning. She is an architect by training who enjoys teaching as well as practice. She is currently interested in two concurrent phenomena through an urban design lens: radical adaptation and urban inequality. 

Jalisa Smith

Pursued Degree(s): Master of Science Urban Analytics

Hometown: Stone Mountain, Georgia

Talk to Me About: Returning to school as a working professional

Jalisa was raised in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain and completed her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications at South Carolina State University. Having dedicated several years to roles centered around enhancing the human experience from various angles, she has developed an interest in experience design and analytics. Her focus involves leveraging data to enhance the resilience of individuals within its scope, clearing the paths for choice in densities, transportation options, shared space activities, and means of connection.

Matteo Saracco

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning (Transportation) & Master of Science Civil Engineering

Hometown: Bologna, Italy

Talk to Me About: 

Taking courses in other departments, structuring your degree to include Research Assistantship opportunities

Matteo is in his third year of the dual Master of City and Regional Planning (Transportation) & Master of Science Civil Engineering program. Hailing from Italy, Matteo holds a BS in Civil Engineering and came to Georgia Tech after completing one year of graduate studies in Italy. Matteo decided to pursue an MCRP thanks to a course he took in urban planning during his undergrad degree, and decided to marry engineering and planning by applying straight away for a dual degree (MCRP-MSCE). Matteo is an avid biker and promotes cyclist mobility as a volunteer at Starter Bikes, a Georgia Tech student-lead organization. In his spare time Matteo enjoys the outdoors, sports (soccer and frisbee), board games, and complaining about public transit. Once he graduates, he hopes to find a job that can help improve access to public transit and multimodal transportation.

Morgan Lane

Pursued Degree(s): P.h.D in City and Regional Planning

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Talk to Me About: Ph.D. Program; Living in Atlanta; Graduate Research and Teaching Assistantships; Climate & Health

Morgan is a first-year Ph.D. student in City and Regional Planning. Originally hailing from Atlanta, Morgan attended Hamilton College where she received a Bachelors in Neuroscience and Government. In 2017, she returned to Atlanta to pursue her Masters in Public Health after which she worked as a researcher at Emory for several years before joining the Ph.D. program at Tech. Morgan is interested in urban climate change adaptation and building climate resilience in cities. Outside of school, she enjoys walking her dog, biking, and eating around the Beltline, the Freedom Trail, and Atlanta's many great neighborhoods and parks.

Niamh O'Dea

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning  (Housing and Community Development)

Hometown: Huddersfield, United Kingdom

Talk to Me About: Moving to Atlanta, being an International Student, and returning to School after Working

Niamh is a first-year graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program. She grew up in England and relocated to the US for her undergraduate studies, earning a BS in Social Psychology and actively participated in collegiate soccer for four years. Following graduation, Niamh entered the field of community mental health, where she witnessed how inadequate planning often worsened mental health and overall well-being. This experience led her to explore urban planning master's programs, and she ultimately chose Tech. In her leisure time, you'll often find Niamh running, playing soccer, and biking.

Sanica Manglorkar

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning (Environment and Health)

Hometown: Cumming, Georgia

Talk to Me About: Things to do in and around Atlanta, Managing Mental Health while in grad school, Study Tips and Tricks

Sanica is a first-year graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program. She grew up in the Metro Atlanta suburbs and moved to the city itself to attend Georgia State University, where she earned her B.S in Geosciences along with certificates in GIS and Sustainability. While at GSU, she had the opportunity to participate in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program with Columbia University’s climate school, The Earth Institute, analyzing the long-term socioeconomic and migratory impacts of Hurricane Mitch in Latin America. After graduating, Sanica worked in water asset management, mapping and surveying for Forsyth County with their Water & Sewer Department’s engineering division. Her interests in climate resilience, data visualization, public health, and equity naturally lead her to Georgia Tech’s interdisciplinary MCRP program. She is currently a Graduate Research Assistant on Dr. Randall Guensler’s ADA-compliant sidewalk accessibility project. In her free time, Sanica enjoys exploring the city on foot, playing video games (mostly JRPGs), practicing yoga, and complaining about heavy duty trucks.

Scott Sager

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning (Land Use)

Hometown: Cartersville, Georgia

Talk to Me About: Land Use, Living in Atlanta, Changing Professional Careers

Scott is a first-year graduate student in the Master's of City and Regional Planning program. A Georgia native, Scott earned his BBA in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Georgia in 2015. After spending several years in Charlotte, NC, and Washington, DC working as a consultant for employer-sponsored benefits, he observed the financial and health-related challenges companies face in supporting their employees’ health. Now, as a student, he's exploring ways to contribute to the well-being of cities and places by integrating his experiences into thoughtful planning and design.

Soumya Gupta

Pursued Degree(s): Master of City and Regional Planning

Hometown: India

Talk to me about: Economic Development, Housing and Community Development, International student experience, and pretty much anything!

I am a first-year graduate student in the Master of City and Regional Planning program, specializing in economic development, and housing and community development. Originally from Dehradun in India, I have moved a lot across different states such as Delhi, Kashmir, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Punjab across the country- owing to my parents being in the army and higher studies. In August 2021, I graduated from R.V. College, Bangalore with a Bachelors in Architecture. Before joining Ga Tech, I have worked in public-private partnership research in India towards Indigenous Peoples and Development. Topics that interest me are Resilience, Affordability, Wealth Gap, Inequalities and Equity. When I am not working, you would find me painting, taking long walks in obscure parts of cities, and/or reading something with a philosophical component in it. I also love to play Badminton and Table Tennis. Research and finding connections has always been my first love, especially when it comes to environmental justice and reducing inequalities. I am always open to conversations and potential collaborations for topics such as social and economic impact, economic and community development, resilience, and sustainability!

Yuxiang Zhao

Pursued Degree(s): Master of Urban Analytics

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Talk to Me About: The difference between the MCRP and UA programs and the study of GIS, and International Students looking for Internship

Yuxiang is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Urban Analytics program and a recent graduate of the Master of City and Regional Planning program. He is motivated to help international students successfully transition into the programs.