MURP's Featured Student

Andrew Smith is December’s Featured Student

Students in the Urban Affairs and Planning program in Alexandria have the opportunity to work for important policy think tanks and government agencies in the Washington D.C. area. Andrew Smith, a second year MURP student, currently interns with the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a nonprofit organization that researches real estate development issues. He was selected as Virginia Tech’s first ULI/McNamara intern and combines studying for his Master's in Urban and Regional Planning with work for ULI on mixed-use development.

Andrew grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He attended college in his hometown at the University of North Carolina, where he studied German and Music. Prior to graduating in 2002, he received the Frances Phillips Scholarship, an award which allowed him to enjoy the enviable experience of traveling throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other parts of Europe for an entire summer.

Andrew moved to New York City after graduation and served for three years as a project assistant at TCC Group, a consulting firm that advises nonprofits, foundations and associations. He then spent three years as a paralegal working in intellectual property litigation at Venable LLP in Washington, D.C.

When considering graduate school options, Andrew reexamined his goals and began to think seriously about urban planning, finding that the field combined several of his interests. Looking back at his upbringing in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina - and its tremendous and often unintelligent growth in recent years - Andrew recognized a desire to help cities and regions grow in a more responsible fashion.

Andrew's primary academic interests include land use planning and regional growth management. He is currently interning in ULI's Information Division, where he assists with research on a variety of ULI publications.

Click here for more information about the ULI/McNamara Internship.

Would you like communicate with Andrew regarding his work and activities with the Urban Affairs and Planning Program? Send him an e-mail: ansmith_email@vt.edu

This student profile was written by MURP student Gareth James.