Ethan is joining us this summer as a rising fourth year studying Urban Planning and Civil Engineering at UVA. He will be working with the Move Safely Blue Ridge initiative and other transportation projects.
Q: How did you decide to major in planning?
A: I sort of fell into the field through my love of maps. I was obsessed with maps growing up, specifically road maps. For my 7th birthday my parents got me the Rand McNally Road Atlas of the United States, and I would grab the nearest pen and draw my own networks of roads and cities all throughout the atlas. This obsession with maps just led me down a path of being interested in transportation and its various facets. Transportation affects every aspect of your life from where you live to how you live.
Q: What about working for the TJPDC interested you?
A: I grew up in Leesburg up in Loudoun County, so my previous work experience, and lived experience, was in the context of Northern Virginia and the DC area. Working at the TJPDC offers me an exciting opportunity to work in a new region, one that I am not as familiar with. Additionally, as a current resident of Charlottesville, this opportunity allows me to learn more about the community I reside in and the issues that it faces.
Q: What is a fun fact or hobby you’d like to share?
A: I play five instruments! (Piano, Guitar, Drums, Tuba, Trombone) I am in the marching band and basketball band at UVA in the tuba section. Come visit section 104 in Scott Stadium this fall! I have also played a couple gigs around UVA and Charlottesville, playing drums and guitar in two bands.