MURP's Featured Student

Jereme Thaxton is April’s Featured Student.

Jereme Thaxton hails from the great state of Tennessee! However he spent a great deal of his childhood traveling around the world as part of a military family. Jereme earned a B.S. in Agriculture from The University of Tennessee before starting work at various landscape architecture firms. Currently he is pursuing a dual degree in Urban and Regional Planning as well as Landscape Architecture at Virginia Tech.

He says of the reason he chose to pursue his masters’ degrees, “The biggest attraction for me was the convenience of an urban environment. At the Alexandria campus, an emphasis is placed on the practical aspect of planning and the Washington area provides a wonderful platform to test ideas.”

Jereme has had some amazing experiences while in the program including spending his summer of 2007 working for Cracknell Landscape Architecture and Planning in Dubai. Although the heat was rather intense, he enjoyed working on various design and planning projects throughout the region like the Ritz Carlton, Bahrain.

Of his time at Virginia Tech he says, “I really appreciate the flexibility of the MURP program, which has enabled me to pursue two masters degrees concurrently while gaining professional experience at the same time. I feel the learning opportunities available in Alexandria are numerous, and the diversity of topics offered allow students to choose their own path in the program at their own speed.”

Dr. Elizabeth Morton says, “Jereme's joint pursuit of landscape architecture and urban planning has provided him with a broad set of analytical tools to advance his keen interest in sustainability. His work here has ranged from proposing ways to make our own building more environmentally friendly to examining the carrying capacity of large tourist areas in Southeast Asia. Jereme's professional experience in rapidly developing parts of the world has allowed him to contribute valuable insights about the role planners must play internationally in guiding change, especially in environmentally-sensitive areas. His enthusiasm and commitment is inspiring to students and faculty alike.”

With regards to his field of study, he says, “I like to think of work as an excuse to travel, but also a way to test ideas in different environments. In addition to the DC area, I have been fortunate to work for firms in Louisiana, Alaska, as well as Dubai. Most of my work has an aspect of landscape architecture attached to it, and I enjoy working on large scale master plans and pedestrian centered projects.”

After graduation Jereme plans to continue his international pursuits, saying, “At the moment, my plans immediately after graduation would be to do some sailing. The destination is still up in the air, but I have always wanted to do a transatlantic crossing, so probably the Mediterranean. After that, I am thinking of taking a job in Singapore until the housing market settles down.”

In his free time some of his favorite things include: traveling, hunting, fishing, skiing, photography, hiking, sailing, mountaineering, swimming, cycling and running.

Would you like communicate with Jereme regarding his work and activities with the Urban Affairs and Planning Program? Send him an e-mail: jeremethaxton@gmail.com

This student profile was written by MURP student Sarah Sturtevant.