Educational Background
Whenever I meet somebody new to discuss something in depth, I like to ask about their background (and share a bit of mine). I believe learning about each other’s experiences helps us have a better understanding of the other person’s perspective and concerns. So, here’s my best attempt at providing you with a bit of my educational background.
College
University of Michigan. 1995-2003
My undergraduate degree is in Architecture, and I do have the X-acto blade scars to prove it. This was a very useful degree to help one understand how complex systems work, how important psychology is to human behavior, and how to will yourself awake after sleeping less than 20 hours in a week. As fate would have it, one of the studio projects I had was designing a fire station. I was also in the Michigan Marching Band (Pigskin Classic through the Orange Bowl).
My graduate degree is in Urban Planning. I changed to this field because I wanted something that was even more complex and was unhappy that many of the architecture courses tended to focus more on the skill of the architect rather than on the people who would be using the space. I took a lot of side classes in urban design and behavior and the environment, finishing several courses short of graduating with 3 masters degrees.
High School
Shepherd High School. 1991-1995
It’s difficult to figure what to say about my high school. Our graduating class had a little over 110 students in it, so you basically knew everybody since the first grade.
Although our most advanced class was pre-calculus, I was able to take several classes at CMU and Mid Michigan Community College, which could have allowed me to graduate a year early.
We didn’t have as many sports as Dexter does; I was a member of the JV golf team but had to quit because of a conflict with another activity, which I was far better at (Quiz Bowl).
For those folks who wanted to have a legitimate reason to miss class, like me, there were a fair number of activities to participate in. I was a member of Quiz Bowl Team, Model UN, Computer Team, Science Olympiad, Knowledge Masters Open, Science Club, Spanish Club, Marching Band, Pep Band, Jazz Band, Drama Club, and Yearbook.
Other Stuff
As you can likely sense, I like to learn. Professionally, I have attended state-wide (10) and nation wide (5) urban planning conferences. I have attended the (Fire) Station Design Conference, twice on my own dime. I passed the examinations to be a Certified Floodplain Manager and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. Recently, I took a Udemy course for creating a boutique watch brand.