Birds up, ‘Runners!
This week’s internship spotlight story is about Selina Angel, a graduate student who studies Urban and Regional Planning here at UTSA!
Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Selina made her way to UTSA and eventually became an active member of the Urban Planning Student Association. This past summer, Selina secured an internship with the City of Leon Valley as a Planning Intern.
“I received an email from the College of Architecture at UTSA explaining that the City of Leon Valley was hiring an intern,” Selina shared. “I submitted my resume and was called in for an interview a couple of days later.”
Selina’s summer was action-packed and filled with a great number of incredible projects! When asked which accomplishments were the highlight of her experience, she said: helping with research to update a comprehensive plan, creating multiple maps with different research and findings, and redesigning a bi-monthly community publication.
Some responsibilities she felt highlighted her experience most were reviewing site plans, preparing comments, processing building and zoning permits, and preparing and mailing out public notices for zoning changes.
With such an impressive workload came many challenges and excitement: “The most challenging aspect was learning all city ordinances, but once I made a spreadsheet of them, it made things much easier,” explained Selina. “I enjoyed the design aspect of the internship most: I love to create things that make life easier for people.” Aside from these aspects, Selina admitted that the most enjoyable part of her experience was creating documents, spreadsheets, and maps that will be used by future employees and homeowners.
Selina feels her internship has prepared her for a career by giving her the experience she needs to succeed. “My dream job,” pondered Selina, “would be a city planner. I would like to find ways to both integrate art into the city and revitalize cities without gentrification.”
When asked what advice she had for students who are hesitant about pursuing an internship, Selina had this to say:
“Internships are very important because they prepare you for a job after school. You have a higher chance of getting hired if you have experience upon graduation.”
Lastly, Selina claimed the following quote best defines her:
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” -Nelson Henderson.
Incredible work, Selina! Go ‘Runners!
