STUDENT PROFILES
Alison Moore ('18)
Alison is interested in how the built environment influences health, particularly urban design's impact on social cohesion.
Bo Chung ('18)
Bo is a sustainability and social justice professional. Before graduate school, Bo worked for four years in China (in southwest China and in Shanghai) in clean energy and education consulting. Bo is now working on strategic planning for the City of Oakland, focused on community equity in housing, arts & culture, and food. He received a 2016 Schmidt MacArthur Fellowship, which focuses on the "circular economy." Bo speaks Spanish, Cantonese, and Portuguese. Linkedin
Brooke Staton ('17)
Brooke is interested in affordable housing, environmental and health equity (especially mental health), community based participatory research, and just cities.
Fiona Ruddy ('18)
Fiona received her BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan where she studied the disconnect between human and civil rights in the American social and political context. A lifelong Michigander, after graduation Fiona moved to Detroit where she served as the Director of Food Access Programs at the Eastern Market Corporation - a historic public market district. Fiona spearheaded the organizing efforts to create the Detroit Community Markets network, a grassroots collation of fresh food advocates working to bridge the city’s access and demand divide. In 2013 she was recognized for her work as one of Crain’s Detroit Business’ “20 in Their 20s.” Fiona currently works as a research fellow for the San Francisco Foundation's Great Communities Collaborative where she provides technical assistance and analysis on connection between equity, housing, and health outcomes for advocacy organizations in the Bay Area. Fiona is also an ardent lifelong player and supporter of soccer, and loves observing improvisational soccer culture in cities around the world. Linkedin
Irene Calimlim ('19)
Irene's passion is in improving the built environment and social conditions in marginalized, low-income communities of color, particularly through the capacity building and empowerment of local residents. After graduating with a BA in Human Biology focused on health in underserved communities, Irene worked in rural India with the Comprehensive Rural Health Project to learn about their model of empowerment and development working with women village health workers and in her hometown of Stockton to local community organizing in Stockton around health justice with Fathers & Families of San Joaquin and Reinvent South Stockton Coalition. Currently, she is an intern with the Greenlining Institute's Bridges to Health Program where she is investigating community benefit investments from hospital systems and increasing opportunities for girls and women of color. As a Gates Millennium Scholar and a Maddy Institute Fellow, Irene is continually striving to build confidence in finding her voice and to help mentor and inspire others from first-generation / underrepresented backgrounds into social justice advocacy. Linkedin
Justine Marcus ('19)
Originally from rural Wisconsin, Justine graduated from University of Wisconsin - Madison with degrees in Sociology and Economics in 2012. Her previous work ranges from participatory research regarding the community impacts of an arterial highway redevelopment in Wisconsin to mapping disparities in asthma and environmental health in California. Most recently, Justine worked as a Bilingual Research Assistant at a community-based research organization in San Francisco, where she focused on participatory research, housing, and public health in the Bay Area and the Central Valley. Through her graduate studies, Justine is exploring how community infrastructure -- from housing, to water, to governance -- can be used to address health disparities and build community power. She is particularly passionate about advocacy efforts for redistributive planning policies that center communities of color, low income communities, and rural communities. She is currently a graduate student researcher for the Center for Community Innovation where she is examining the health and material impacts of evictions on households. Justine is proud to be a lifelong public school alumna. Linkedin
Kate Beck ('18)
Kate is passionate about transportation, human-centered design and policy, and equity issues in urban areas. She is specifically interested in understanding the ways technology can address health and safety issues related to transportation for under-represented communities. Linkedin
Lisa Herron ('18)
Lisa is interested in the intersection of environment and health; approaches to health and design that are rooted in community engagement and voice; complete streets and active design/transportation.
Samira Nuru ('19)
Samira is interested in the inherent relationship between community dynamics, design, and available resources with community well-being and health on both individual and communal levels; empowering communities of color; racial equity and social justice; community activism and development, particularly in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point community; gentrification and displacement; affordable housing; health equity; and environmental justice.
Sandra Mukasa ('19)
Sandra is interested in affordable housing, healthy communities, health equity, public transportation, resilience & disaster preparedness, and participatory planning.
Sarah Skenazy ('18)
Sarah works at the intersection of environmental planning, urban design, and public health. She is interested in how cities can be designed to adapt to climate change while providing for the health of economies and people. Her core area of expertise is contributing to the design of vibrant places that support healthy lifestyles through data-driven, participatory planning practices. She has a special interest in research-informed design for waterfronts, regional masterplans, and healthcare campuses. Sarah currently works in the Environmental Health Tracking Division of the California Department of Public Health. Prior, she led the integration efforts of research into design practice at global architecture firm Perkins + Will and promoted the role of equitable design as program director of The Buckminster Fuller Institute. Linkedin
Thomas Omolo ('18)
Thomas was born abroad and moved to the Bay Area when he was 8 years old and has always loved exploring, learning about the natural world, and teaching students to appreciate the environment around them. While working for the U.S. Forest Service Urban Field Station in Philadelphia, he coordinated an environmental science competition for high school students, helped start one of the first citizen-science based longitudinal study of the urban forest, and taught elementary and middle school students about an array of natural science topics. Thomas’s work with students from many different backgrounds illuminated a deeper understanding of where our societal discrepancies and inequities lie. One inequity that has strongly resonated with him is the belief that every kid has the right to experience the outdoors, regardless of neighborhood, skin color, or bank account balance. He hopes to help communities create their own green spaces within walking distance of the neighborhood or within the neighborhood. Every child should have an opportunity to independently explore the natural world without having to rely on caregivers or school field trips to get them there.
Travis Richards ('17)
Travis is interested in how to advance social equity and promote public health through transportation systems and policies. He has a BS in civil engineering from UC Berkeley and worked as a transportation engineer before returning to graduate school. As an engineer, Travis developed construction document packages for traffic signal and signing and striping projects. One of his most rewarding projects involved working to make it safer for children in the City of Palo Alto to walk and bike to school through the city's Safe Routes to School program.
Alison is interested in how the built environment influences health, particularly urban design's impact on social cohesion.
Bo Chung ('18)
Bo is a sustainability and social justice professional. Before graduate school, Bo worked for four years in China (in southwest China and in Shanghai) in clean energy and education consulting. Bo is now working on strategic planning for the City of Oakland, focused on community equity in housing, arts & culture, and food. He received a 2016 Schmidt MacArthur Fellowship, which focuses on the "circular economy." Bo speaks Spanish, Cantonese, and Portuguese. Linkedin
Brooke Staton ('17)
Brooke is interested in affordable housing, environmental and health equity (especially mental health), community based participatory research, and just cities.
Fiona Ruddy ('18)
Fiona received her BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan where she studied the disconnect between human and civil rights in the American social and political context. A lifelong Michigander, after graduation Fiona moved to Detroit where she served as the Director of Food Access Programs at the Eastern Market Corporation - a historic public market district. Fiona spearheaded the organizing efforts to create the Detroit Community Markets network, a grassroots collation of fresh food advocates working to bridge the city’s access and demand divide. In 2013 she was recognized for her work as one of Crain’s Detroit Business’ “20 in Their 20s.” Fiona currently works as a research fellow for the San Francisco Foundation's Great Communities Collaborative where she provides technical assistance and analysis on connection between equity, housing, and health outcomes for advocacy organizations in the Bay Area. Fiona is also an ardent lifelong player and supporter of soccer, and loves observing improvisational soccer culture in cities around the world. Linkedin
Irene Calimlim ('19)
Irene's passion is in improving the built environment and social conditions in marginalized, low-income communities of color, particularly through the capacity building and empowerment of local residents. After graduating with a BA in Human Biology focused on health in underserved communities, Irene worked in rural India with the Comprehensive Rural Health Project to learn about their model of empowerment and development working with women village health workers and in her hometown of Stockton to local community organizing in Stockton around health justice with Fathers & Families of San Joaquin and Reinvent South Stockton Coalition. Currently, she is an intern with the Greenlining Institute's Bridges to Health Program where she is investigating community benefit investments from hospital systems and increasing opportunities for girls and women of color. As a Gates Millennium Scholar and a Maddy Institute Fellow, Irene is continually striving to build confidence in finding her voice and to help mentor and inspire others from first-generation / underrepresented backgrounds into social justice advocacy. Linkedin
Justine Marcus ('19)
Originally from rural Wisconsin, Justine graduated from University of Wisconsin - Madison with degrees in Sociology and Economics in 2012. Her previous work ranges from participatory research regarding the community impacts of an arterial highway redevelopment in Wisconsin to mapping disparities in asthma and environmental health in California. Most recently, Justine worked as a Bilingual Research Assistant at a community-based research organization in San Francisco, where she focused on participatory research, housing, and public health in the Bay Area and the Central Valley. Through her graduate studies, Justine is exploring how community infrastructure -- from housing, to water, to governance -- can be used to address health disparities and build community power. She is particularly passionate about advocacy efforts for redistributive planning policies that center communities of color, low income communities, and rural communities. She is currently a graduate student researcher for the Center for Community Innovation where she is examining the health and material impacts of evictions on households. Justine is proud to be a lifelong public school alumna. Linkedin
Kate Beck ('18)
Kate is passionate about transportation, human-centered design and policy, and equity issues in urban areas. She is specifically interested in understanding the ways technology can address health and safety issues related to transportation for under-represented communities. Linkedin
Lisa Herron ('18)
Lisa is interested in the intersection of environment and health; approaches to health and design that are rooted in community engagement and voice; complete streets and active design/transportation.
Samira Nuru ('19)
Samira is interested in the inherent relationship between community dynamics, design, and available resources with community well-being and health on both individual and communal levels; empowering communities of color; racial equity and social justice; community activism and development, particularly in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point community; gentrification and displacement; affordable housing; health equity; and environmental justice.
Sandra Mukasa ('19)
Sandra is interested in affordable housing, healthy communities, health equity, public transportation, resilience & disaster preparedness, and participatory planning.
Sarah Skenazy ('18)
Sarah works at the intersection of environmental planning, urban design, and public health. She is interested in how cities can be designed to adapt to climate change while providing for the health of economies and people. Her core area of expertise is contributing to the design of vibrant places that support healthy lifestyles through data-driven, participatory planning practices. She has a special interest in research-informed design for waterfronts, regional masterplans, and healthcare campuses. Sarah currently works in the Environmental Health Tracking Division of the California Department of Public Health. Prior, she led the integration efforts of research into design practice at global architecture firm Perkins + Will and promoted the role of equitable design as program director of The Buckminster Fuller Institute. Linkedin
Thomas Omolo ('18)
Thomas was born abroad and moved to the Bay Area when he was 8 years old and has always loved exploring, learning about the natural world, and teaching students to appreciate the environment around them. While working for the U.S. Forest Service Urban Field Station in Philadelphia, he coordinated an environmental science competition for high school students, helped start one of the first citizen-science based longitudinal study of the urban forest, and taught elementary and middle school students about an array of natural science topics. Thomas’s work with students from many different backgrounds illuminated a deeper understanding of where our societal discrepancies and inequities lie. One inequity that has strongly resonated with him is the belief that every kid has the right to experience the outdoors, regardless of neighborhood, skin color, or bank account balance. He hopes to help communities create their own green spaces within walking distance of the neighborhood or within the neighborhood. Every child should have an opportunity to independently explore the natural world without having to rely on caregivers or school field trips to get them there.
Travis Richards ('17)
Travis is interested in how to advance social equity and promote public health through transportation systems and policies. He has a BS in civil engineering from UC Berkeley and worked as a transportation engineer before returning to graduate school. As an engineer, Travis developed construction document packages for traffic signal and signing and striping projects. One of his most rewarding projects involved working to make it safer for children in the City of Palo Alto to walk and bike to school through the city's Safe Routes to School program.