February 4, 2010: Someone You Should Know

Hasani Wheat ’09.

Photo courtesy of Hasani Wheat ’09

Mapping it Out at City Hall
OWU’s Hasani Wheat ’09 put classroom studies into action as a Delaware planning intern

Meet Hasani Wheat: very recent graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University. Just last semester, after balancing his time between classes, academic studies, involvement in campus organizations, and an internship at Delaware City Hall, Wheat’s urban studies major and OWU educational experiences were completed.

Wheat, from Cleveland, Ohio, decided to major in urban studies when he saw that it complemented his history and geography majors.

“I live in an urban environment in Cleveland, and I like to study the trends of what is happening in my environment, so the decision to pick up my major was an easy one,” Wheat explains.

Dr. Richard Fusch, head of the Urban Studies department, says that after completion of the major and graduation, most students go to graduate school and pursue work in public administration, city and regional planning, social work, and other areas of public service.

“The major prepares students for the problems and challenges they are going to face in public service,” he explains.

Wheat met these challenges head-on last semester, during the course of his Delaware internship. As a planning intern under supervision of Planning and Community Director, David Efland, Wheat worked on updating the Land Use Classification Map for the City of Delaware, in addition to completing other assignments. He created both macro and micro versions of the map. The macro version focuses on residential, commercial, industrial, and other larger scale land uses, while the micro focuses on the subcategories of these areas, such as single-family houses and duplexes.

“I learned, even before the start of the internship, that field work is very important to city and regional planning work,” says Wheat. He was able to experience this realization during his project, which involved taking photographs of a house and its surrounding landscape on Oak Street.

“If you can’t see and document the changes in the landscape for yourself, how are you going to explain those changes to someone else?” Wheat says. “My favorite part was the hands-on experience I received. I liked that I didn’t have to sit in my office all day.”

Fusch says that most urban studies students complete internships and get a leg up on opportunities after graduation.

“These experiences allow students to hone their research skills and their ability to examine and understand real-world problems,” he explains. Wheat agrees, pointing out that he was able to apply what he learned in his classes to his assignments with City Hall. He was able to see the planning and decision making behind the scenes and the care and details that are necessary to build, change, and manage parts of a growing city.

Wheat strongly encourages theory-practice opportunities such as this one and thinks they are critical for the development of leaders, as these opportunities allow students to observe and change what is occurring around them.

“In classes, I learned a lot in a small amount of time,” he explains. “During the internship, I was able to capture the information I learned in class and provide analysis on a particular project.”

Wheat hopes to attend graduate school in the near future to earn his American Institute of Certified Planners certification while working as a city planner. He is proud of what he has accomplished at Ohio Wesleyan and during his internship.

“The work may be tough at times, but the skills and the knowledge you will receive are priceless,” explains Wheat. “The professors will give you the knowledge, but it is up to you to use that knowledge. Only then will you unlock your true potential in your chosen area of study and in your career.”

– Christina Fesz ’12