Meet our Students: Leigh Anne Michael

Community and Regional Planning

 

What city, region, state do you call home?

I grew up in Tennessee and moved to Oregon in July 2012. I now consider Eugene, OR my home.

In which graduate program are you enrolled?

Community and Regional Planning

What is your area of concentration?

My area of concentration is community development, specifically economic development and redevelopment. I am also interested in social equity and the role that nonprofits play in economic development and redevelopment of communities. Because of my Community Planning Workshop (CPW) project I am also becoming interested in cultural competency.

What will you be doing for the Community Service Center?

I am working on the Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan (DESP) Evaluation for the City of Eugene. We are evaluating the internal culture of the organization and if it has changed since the implementation of the DESP in 2009. My team is administering a survey and interviewing City staff to measure change. We are also interviewing selected members of the community and synthesizing other City of Eugene outreach efforts. We will provide the City of Eugene with a final report of our findings and our recommendations for moving forward with their equity and human rights efforts.

How does your involvement with the Community Service Center relate to or inform your graduate studies?

My involvement with the Community Service Center directly relates to my graduate studies because I am already interested in social equity and human rights. Working on the DESP Evaluation allows me to gather a better understanding of how equity and human rights fit into the field of planning.

What can you say about the value of your Community Service Center experience?

I think this experience is extremely valuable. Applied learning makes school fun and provides real life experience. Without the Community Service Center I would not be able to interact with the community through an applied learning project. The knowledge and experience I gain from this project will help me throughout my career.

What outcome are you hoping for when your project ends?

When my project ends I hope to have a better understanding of what I want to do for my career. I hope to improve my technical writing and public speaking skills. Most importantly, I hope to understand how human rights, equity, and cultural competency are a part of the planning field.

More about the Community Planning Workshop(CPW)