Personal History Statement

Yidan Chen

Personal History Statement

The field of urban planning has evolved with the human and urban history. Cities around the world offer lessons to each other by having experimented with different policies and programs to address various urban challenges. As a planning student, I enjoy the fundamental nature of diversity of the field, and I was enlightened by my learning experiences in the States. I was not only able to learn from the country which has experienced distinct phases of planning and urban development, but also from my fellow students with diverse backgrounds. I am always fascinated by the fact that I can listen to my classmate from Port-au-Prince to talk about her experiences during the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, and one from

One time in my real estate development class, we were discussing our ideas on the rapid increase in the amount of luxury student housing in the Champaign area. I heard people saying “that happened because all the international students are rich kids”. My friend from Haiti quickly responded “No! I am poor”. The whole class burst into laughter, while I went silence. There are many reasons that can explain the development boom has happened in the campus town, and a good one would be that our university is one of the most expensive public schools in the nation. Indeed, some international students come from wealthy families, but they can never represent the whole international population, as many do live a simple lifestyle to pursue academic

Though I have been actively involved in class discussions, I was shy and nervous about casual conversations with my professors and fellow classmates. I used to blush when I met them outside of the classrooms, and have no idea what to say after “hi” and “I am good”. However, with my determination to be more engaging, I started to reach out to them and gradually made personal connections. I have also been actively involved in the department’s activities, such as the professional development trips and global city café. I used my own participation to encourage more international students to be involved with the discipline and the college.

In order to learn about the local communities and culture, I have explored both downtown Champaign and downtown Urbana and visited numerous local restaurants and cafes. In addition, I have attended several public meetings to follow the major development projects in towns and understand communities’ values. This local knowledge has also allowed me to assist in the recruiting process, as I was able to share my little adventures with the prospective international students and help them better connect to the