Tara Zolfaghari
I am a third year majoring in Informatics and minoring in Environmental Studies. I am passionate about the intersections of data analytics, policy reform, and environmental justice to support community planning. My identities as an Iranian-American woman directly influence my perspective and as a result, I want to focus on uplifting immigrant communities in my work. During my time as an undergraduate, I have worked in the Undergraduate Community Based Internship program where I interned with the Refugee Artisan Initiative in Seattle. I worked on supporting the technical infrastructure of the organization and managed grants for cultural sustainability. This summer, I was a Jackson Munro Public Service Fellow and I worked at Parks Tacoma as a data analyst intern, where I analyzed the accessibility of community and recreation programs for residents from underrepresented socioeconomic statuses. I want to continue this work and I aim to use my career to serve communities impacted by economic, housing, and food insecurity. It is crucial to me to create community by engaging directly with the groups I am serving and I want to continue expanding my design, planning, and analysis skills. I am applying for the Truman scholarship because it is an important opportunity to reflect on my future academic and career goals. It has given me the chance to consider how to serve the groups that need uplifting and my role in contributing to meaningful change. This scholarship would provide resources for me to fully invest in my education and further develop into a thoughtful, educated, and justice-oriented leader.
Goals
My goal is to attend graduate school and get a joint masters degree in public administration and urban planning with a concentration in urban analytics and environmental sustainability. I intend to use data and spatial analysis for planning and policy to support city development for marginalized communities on a federal level.
Tips
Take the time to thoroughly research and reflect on degree programs and career paths that will enable you to enact the change that is important to you. If there is something you are passionate about, you can make it happen for yourself and your community; do not be afraid to set big but realistic goals for yourself. Also, make sure to have a common connecting theme that drives your application and puts all the different pieces of your identity and experiences together. Every application is a learning process so just focus on how to authentically present your passions.
