Meet the 2020 SDAPA Student Interns!

Chris Murphy 

Hi there, my name is Chris Murphy and I am working with the San Diego Section of the APA as a student intern this summer! Currently, I am a fourth year student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo studying City and Regional Planning and have just accepted an internship with the Community Development Department for the City of San Luis Obispo. I am excited to continue my education in planning while also applying it to projects going on in my community. Seeing a community develop into a resilient, equitable and beautiful space that is shared with all people is what attracts me to the planning profession, I want to help facilitate this throughout my career. Aside from planning, surfing is my life and I spend a lot of my time traveling up and down the California and Baja Coastlines hunting waves. I also enjoy rock climbing and riding my bike around town, just anything to stay active and moving.

Mariel Garcia

Hello, my name is Mariel and I am a 2019 UCSD Graduate with a B.S. in Biology who is just beginning to enter the field of planning. I am interning this summer with the San Diego APA and am also interning with Escondido in the Communications/ Graphics Department. I look forward to meeting different professionals and learning all the skills, policies, and mechanisms that go into planning, which is quite a lot! I hope with my background I can do something related to environmental planning but until then, I am still exploring. When I am not busy, I like to watercolor, organize, and research various topics such as history, psychology, and sustainability

Pablo Kaprielian

Hello, my name is Pablo Kaprielian, I was born and raised in San Diego and I am excited to pursue a career in the urban planning industry. I first became interested in urban planning after traveling to several cities in Europe and realizing the great impact city planning can have on lifestyle. Among my favorite cities including Paris, Barcelona, and Berlin. What stood out to me most from those cities were the multi-modal transportation networks, high density, and mixed- use developments. I graduated from SDSU in 2019 with a BA in urban studies with an emphasis on city planning, design, and management. I am currently interested in the urban design and transportation divisions or urban planning as I believe those are crucial in making great, sustainable cities. While I am still looking for a job in this industry, I will be attending Mesa college this coming fall to earn an associate’s degree in architecture with an emphasis on construction management to complement my urban studies degree. After that, my next goal is to seek a master’s degree in city planning. Apart from planning, I enjoy being outdoors and doing activities such as surfing, cycling, and traveling.

Eleanor Hoover

Hello!

My name is Eleanor Hoover and I was fortunate enough to spend the summer as an intern for the San Diego section of the American Planning Association. I recently began my junior year in the University of Mississippi’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College pursuing degrees in English and Journalism, and a minor in Spanish. I am lucky enough to call San Diego home and really enjoyed spending the summer learning more about the 2020 SDAPA award winners and the projects and initiatives they have worked on to better our communities. When I am not studying, working as a Leadership and Engagement Ambassador for the University, or developing content for UM Velvet Magazine, I enjoy traveling, cycling, and watching Formula 1 races.