Ashley McAskill completed the graduate program in urban and regional planning in May 2010 and is pursuing a career in national housing policy. She’s off to a good start, considering that she was recently hired as a program analyst for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Single Family Housing in Washington, D.C.

At The University of Iowa, McAskill’s areas of concentration were economic development, housing, and community development. She and her classmates worked to encourage community development in the ethnically diverse small town of Columbus Junction, Iowa. They planned Earth Day events that united Hispanic and white residents to work on sustainability projects.

“I learned that targeting youth participation is a key way to bring diverse groups of people together,” said McAskill, a Dean’s Graduate Fellow from 2008-10.

McAskill said the program offered an encouraging learning environment, presented the critical skills necessary to become a planner, and provided excellent placement assistance.

“By combining theory with real-world case studies and projects, classes have given me both foundational planning knowledge and practical skills,” she said.