Jessie Williams
editor-in-chief
Jessie Williams is a fourth-year dual-degree student, pursuing a J.D. at the University of Michigan Law School and Master of Urban and Regional Planning in the Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning. Jessie is from Traverse City, Michigan; her home inspires her interests in land preservation, environmental conservation, and historic preservation. Jessie graduated in 2022 from the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment, and has participated in UM’s Graham Sustainability Scholars, Dow Sustainability Fellows, and Wyss Conservation Scholars programs. Jessie also serves as a Senior Editor and Articles Editor for the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law. In her free time, Jessie loves reading, running, and listening to many, many podcasts.
Emma Berger
editor-in-chief
Emma Berger is a first-year Master of Urban and Regional Planning student intending to focus on transportation & land use planning. Emma was born and raised in the Mississippi River town of Davenport, Iowa, and she graduated from the nearby University of Iowa with a B.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning and a minor in Spanish. Her undergraduate research on the relationship between urban wildlife presence and K-12 academic performance ultimately prompted her interest in land use and environmental planning. Outside of school, Emma is an Associate Planner with the City of Ann Arbor. When Emma is not studying or working, she enjoys running along the river in Bandemer park, trying new restaurants with her fiancé, and watching reality TV shows.
Ann Wilkinson
deputy editor
Ann Wilkinson is a second-year dual student studying public policy and urban and regional planning. She is especially interested in community-sourced, equitable climate change resilience efforts within local government. Originally from Rochester, New York, Ann received her B.A. in history with minors in political science and geology from the College of Wooster.
Sean McCormick
deputy editor
Sean is a first year Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from Milford, Michigan. With experience in transportation planning, community organizing and site planning in communities facing population decline, Sean focused his education on advocacy for expanding equitable, inclusive public and non-motorized transportation. His work extends to multiple campaigns fighting for an environmentally-friendly, equitable built environment in Southeast Michigan. Before starting graduate school, Sean worked to map bicycle parking access with the City of Ann Arbor, as an organizer on a presidential campaign to increase voter turnout, and as a Substitute Teacher. In his spare time, you can find Sean riding his mountain bike, drawing historical maps, playing board games with his friends, or watching movies.
Rubin Malik
digital creative director + photographer
Rubin Malik is a second-year Master of Urban and Regional Planning student, focusing on Physical Planning and Design at the University of Michigan. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Political Science from Wayne State University. Her passion for urban planning stems from growing up in Detroit and yearning for quality resources that seemed out of reach due to infrastructural and social divides. Her work centers on the relationship between spatial design, community power, and creative expression. Malik is currently pursuing an independent research project that reimagines how youth can be meaningfully incorporated into formal planning processes through both institutional frameworks and grassroots production. Across her academic and professional work, she brings a design-minded, interdisciplinary approach informed by the capacity of communities to co-create their environments.
Elyse Cote
digital creative director
Elyse Cote is a third-year dual-degree student pursuing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning and Urban Design. She grew up moving here, there, and everywhere which contributed to her love of experiencing different ways that people live. Most recently, she is from Andover, Massachusetts and earned her B.A. in Architectural Studies and Environmental Studies at the College of the Holy Cross. She’s spent the past three summers living in Cambridge, Massachusetts working at Gamble Associates, which is the very firm that inspired her to go into planning and design at an evening community meeting (now that is saying something!). She is currently the Co-President of the Master of Urban Design Student Association and an editorial assistant for Taubman College. When not buried in Adobe Suite or procrastinating work, you can likely find her at the pilates studio, a local coffeeshop, or Trader Joes.
Minza Shahid
creative director
Minza is an Urban Design student, ardent about enhancing public spaces aiming to develop sustainable environments. Shortly after completing her Bachelor’s in Architecture from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in India, she came to Taubman, for pursuing her interest in urban policy making and design. Partly a writer, who explores the cultural and anthropological elements of transforming built environments, Minza is also keen on understanding planning and its impact on immediate stakeholders. She brings a unique perspective from her life in the Global South and aims to utilise her experience in city planning projects for advocating about pressing issues in the rapid urbanisation and industrialisation of developing countries.
Tanner Beals
creative director
Tanner is a second year graduate student majoring in Urban and Regional Planning with an emphasis on Physical Planning and Design. Born and raised in Farmington, Michigan, Tanner carries a passion for the City of Detroit and is interested specifically in adaptive reuse methods and participatory planning practices. In his undergraduate work at The University of Michigan-Dearborn, Tanner conducted research on the various roles of street art in the City of Detroit and its subconscious effects within the community. In his free time, he is either digging for records or producing them; specializing in Golden Age Hip-Hop (90’s-00’s) and Lo-Fi Hip-Hop. He also spends time volunteering at The Detroit Sound Conservancy, a non-profit specializing in the preservation and perpetuation of Detroit’s musical history. Most recently, Tanner has been working as a Graduate Student Instructor for AAS 254 History and Evolution of Hip-Hop.
Mahleej Gola
deputy creative director
Mahleej Gola is a Master of Urban Design student at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Originally from Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, Mahleej earned her Bachelor of Architecture from BUITEMS. Before joining Taubman College, she worked as a junior architect, engaging in community-centered design and housing projects aimed at uplifting underprivileged communities in Pakistan. Her experience includes working with on sustainable design initiatives such as Pono Village in Mirpurkhas, and contributing to projects that promote women’s empowerment through architecture and education. Mahleej’s interests lie in urban regeneration, community-driven design, sustainable housing, and the intersection of culture and spatial identity. She has also participated in international workshops, including one in Morocco, where she collaborated with local architects to study urban sustainability and adaptive planning.
Lillian Wege
deputy creative director
Lillian grew up in Northern Michigan and Metro Detroit, and she received a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Philosophy from Smith College in 2023. At University of Michigan, she is interested in supporting communities in building sustainable systems and climate resilience. Lillian is excited to serve as one of two Deputy Creative Directors on the Agora 20 team this year.
Ali Elatrache
symposium director
Ali Elatrache is a second-year Master of Urban and Regional Planning student from Dearborn, MI. With experience in community organizing and nonprofit development, Ali approaches urban planning with a collaborative and community-oriented mindset. Ali’s background spans over years of experience in grassroots advocacy, client and donor relations, and grant writing. His leadership extends to coordinating major events, managing communications, and cultivating collaborative partnerships. Ali combines strategic thinking with hands-on experience to drive impactful steps towards community action and a commitment to social justice and community engagement across diverse urban landscapes.
Nick Grosh
symposium director
Nick Grosh is a Master of Architecture student at the University of Michigan. He is driven by a deep commitment to housing justice and the power of design as a tool for change. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he chose to channel his passion for advocacy and organizing around the built environment into architectural design. Grosh’s work is rooted in a desire to push boundaries, whether that’s through radical organizing around tenants’ rights, in depth research, mapping, exploration of computational design, or analysis and frameworks of participatory, community-based architecture. His interests are wide-ranging and ever-evolving, but they’re all connected by a shared goal: to improve the built environment and help make housing accessible for all.
Kaitlin Knape
deputy symposium director
Kaitlin Knape is a first-year Master of Urban and Regional Planning student from Tecumseh, Michigan. She recently graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Public Policy. Recognizing the present and ever-encroaching impacts of climate change on lives, cultures, and infrastructures across the global north and south, Kaitlin aims to dedicate her career to climate adaptation and resilience planning. In her free time, you may find Kaitlin running through Ann Arbor, working on her most recent sewing project, or planning her next adventure.
Photos by Rubin Malik
Mariam Ahmed
deputy symposium director
Mariam is a first-year Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning student from Quincy, Massachusetts. She graduated from Boston College with a B.A in English and Communications before discovering an interest in urban planning. As someone who grew up on a peninsula, Mariam is especially interested in coastal resiliency and stormwater infrastructure research. In her free time, she enjoys reading literary fiction, starting but not finishing knitting projects, and being bad at judo.
Nathan Jindra
finance director
Nathan Jindra is a second-year Master of Urban and Regional Planning student. He is from South Bend, Indiana, and earned his bachelor's degree in political science with sociology and urban policy minors from Calvin University. After undergrad, he worked in refugee resettlement in Grand Rapids through AmeriCorps during the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the consequent refugee crisis. He then worked in public housing, connecting with underserved communities to obtain and retain apartments in 5 different government-owned projects. Nathan is focusing on housing and clean energy development and hopes to work in a city focused on equitable growth.