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U3 Advisors Welcomes Interns Katya Rudnik & Ashley Zuo!

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Ashley Zuo and Katya Rudnik could hardly be from more opposite ends of the earth – Katya grew up mostly outside New York City while Ashley is from Shanghai – but they share a keen interest in planning, design, and using development to a positive impact. It makes perfect sense that they would both find their way to U3 Advisors’ summer internship program, where they get to sharpen their skills on projects from Southern California to the upper Midwest to the firm’s home in Philadelphia. 

 

How did you hear about U3 Advisors?

ASHLEY: I’m currently a second year Master of City Planning student at [the University of Pennsylvania], with a concentration in urban design. I heard about U3 from Shea [O’Neill, Vice President] last semester when he was teaching a GIS class at Penn. This spring, he sent me an email asking, “Would you like to join us as an intern?” So I came this summer! 

 

KATYA: I went to undergrad at the University of Vermont, where I met Gillian Tilley [U3 Advisor Senior Analyst]. She’s been telling me about the work they’ve been doing for years, it seems super cool. She encouraged me to apply for this internship. I’m a part time student at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, studying city planning, with a specialization is Housing and Economic Development, and I love what I’ve been able to work on so far. 

 

What projects are you focused on this summer?

KATYA: I’m working on a big state university student housing project and an east coast city’s “anchors” project. I was also just put on an innovation project of a major midwestern university innovation project. They’re all very much at their inception stages, so it’s going to be cool to see them take shape. 

 

ASHLEY: Most of my projects are very design focused – the first one is for San Diego; currently, I’m doing the base model for further design. Another one is for [a major state school], where I’m doing some design work for our responses to an RFP. Pretty exciting!

 

How would you describe the culture of the firm to your friends?

ASHLEY: This is a pretty chill vibe [laughs]. I love the interior design of the [Philadelphia] office – very welcoming and very pretty. The working environment is very important to me and I like that the location is close to Penn’s campus. 

 

KATYA: I totally agree with Ashley – it’s a really welcoming, laid back environment, but with the caveat everyone wants to work hard. People here trust you to do your work and do a good job. It’s so refreshing to be trusted and also simultaneously supported. I was talking to Jen [Mitchell, Chief of Staff] on my first day, and she said, “I’m really here to answer any of your questions.” Everyone just seems so smart and interested in what they’re doing. I’ve loved it.

 

What do you plan on doing after graduation? How do you think this experience is preparing you for that? 

ASHLEY: This is also my first professional experience in planning. I was an architecture student as an undergrad. When I was thinking about what I’m going to do in the future, I think this internship will help me to get familiar with a lot of planning disciplines. The U.S. obviously does this in a very different way from China, and this is helping me become more familiar with the U.S. style. After I graduate, I think I’ll stay in the planning field, but I’m looking for something else, like housing or real estate. This helps me to get familiar with all these other fields. It’s great to have a lot of options!

KATYA: I’ve worked in a variety of spaces, mostly in education and childcare, but this is my first proper professional experience in the planning field – so I feel like I have everything to learn. I definitely want to be in New York, and I have long considered working in the public sector. I will say my short time here so far has opened my eyes to how fulfilling and enriching the private sector consulting world can be.