The new International Planning Student Organization (IPSO) board launched its first Speaker Series of 2020. Students were invited to listen to fellow CRP students discuss their previous experiences in international planning work represented by a variety of planning efforts, from improvising provisional services in rural communities to empowering women globally through media training.
The Speaker Series was comprised of three presentations by Anshul Mishra (M.R.P. ’21), Anushi Garg (M.R.P. ’20), and Hannah Wilson (M.R.P. ’21). Mishra and Wilson discussed their international work before joining the M.R.P. program and Garg presented a summary of her internship work from last summer.
Drawing upon a professional career spanning nearly a decade, Mishra shared his experiences in various government settings in which he was instrumental in improving provisional services and infrastructure in communities throughout India. He discussed his involvement in several initiatives in Coimbatore City in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, including increasing the green and open space portfolio for the city and developing new infrastructure equating to $150 million USD.
Garg left Ithaca last summer to travel to Cambodia for a UN-Habitat Cambodia internship. Although ecstatic to find a listing for a cheap student housing option in a city nearby her site, she soon realized the reality of what communities in rural Cambodia go through daily, as she faced the small fan in her 95-degree room for comfort. Across the river were several rural communities, which were disproportionately affected by flooding. Garg shared images of her team creating community maps on the ground, using a water pipe to represent the river and objects to represent areas of chronic flooding. Garg and her team used the input from these community meetings to conceptualize a prototype structure that will create more flood-resilient housing over the next several months.
The series concluded with Wilson sharing her experience with Lensational, a global movement focusing on empowering women through photography and other visual media. “Women should have the ability to share their stories in their terms,” she stated.
Like Mishra, Wilson wore several hats throughout her international work at Lensational, most recently serving as its China Program Director. As the director, she worked with women in Sanjiangyuan, teaching them photography and the compelling narrative tool it provides in sharing their stories. Because many of the women were illiterate, Hannah expressed the importance of these photographic skills to enable them to narrate their stories and help their communities.
The new IPSO board is comprised of President Tiolora Lumbantoruan (M.R.P. ’21), Vice President Kania Pradipta (M.R.P. ’21), Secretary Yuqing Zhang (M.R.P. ’21), and Treasurer Karim Shaltout (M.R.P. ’21).