Cat Woodson
Why pursue a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Tech?
Current Blacksburg campus student Cat shares their experience:
What attracted you to the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at Virginia Tech?
I became interested in planning kind of by accident. In undergrad (Pittsburgh, PA), one of my student jobs was in our campus’s bike shop, which led to other bike industry-related or adjacent jobs that provided me opportunities to work with nonprofits, co-ops, advocacy groups, university campuses and local government organizations.
I ended up in Blacksburg, VA a few years ago, started working at Virginia Tech in the Alternative Transportation Department, and ended up managing the regional bikeshare program (ROAM NRV - Gotcha Powered by Bolt/Bolt Mobility). My role in bikeshare programs allowed more opportunities to interact with the planning and policy side of things (particularly at local level and in a more rural setting, which can be very challenging). This piqued my interest in learning more about planning formally, and COVID-19 provided an opportune moment for me to do just that.
What are 1 or 2 things you have come to appreciate about the program since you began?
The MURP program’s organizational structure reflects the way planners likely have to interact with other organizations, especially with government and politicians - it’s messy and takes a lot of effort to get things done, but it’s rewarding in the end.
How is the MURP program preparing you for your goals?
This program allowed me to explore different options within the field of planning and planning adjacent, these options also earned me additional certificates in Transportation Planning and Policy, Economic Development, and Disaster Resilience and Risk Management. Ideally, I think I would like to find something that combines all of these interests in some way.
Alongside your studies, are you working in the planning field in any capacity?
My role with the bikeshare program continued to evolve over the course of the pandemic. As the Market Coordinator, I worked alongside MPOs, local planning staff, the university and other local organizations and nonprofits.
Are there any other planning-related activities or groups you are a part of?
Everything sort of blends together in a nice way for me: my studies, my job, my interests and hobbies, etc. all connect in one way or another. For example, I’m a League Certified Instructor/member (League of American Bicyclists) and teach smart cycling classes at VT. I’m on the board of a few local nonprofit organizations: New River Valley Bicycle Association, the Blacksburg Striders (running group), and Sustainable Blacksburg and of course, I’m an APA Virginia chapter member. I am pretty involved in my community and with a small town like Blacksburg it’s easy to start to overlap things.