Alumni Spotlight: Casey Craig
Casey Craig, Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MPl) ‘16, is back in the fold as co-chair of the Ryerson Planning Alumni Association (RPAA).
RPAA was formed in 1998 and the association’s mandate is to support students of the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP), provide alumni with meaningful opportunities for engagement, and promote and advance the planning profession. The RPAA’s efforts focus on hosting social and networking events, including an annual spring reception, to raise funds to support SURP students.
We sat down with Casey for some insights into her time studying planning, her experiences after leaving the program and to learn more about RPAA.
What made you decide to get involved with RPAA?
During the master’s program I was involved with the Ryerson Planning Graduate Student Association (RPGSA). In my first year, I was the Sustainable SURP liaison, and in my second year I was the vice president. It was such a great experience and showed me that a small group could make a large impact on the lives of fellow students. I thought carrying that concept over to the alumni association would be very rewarding. I was eager to see what I could help accomplish as part of a bigger team.
Have you been involved with the RPAA since you graduated in 2016?
Yes. It has helped me create and maintain connections with alumni that I may not see outside of the school’s board room. The RPAA provides the perfect opportunity for networking, especially fresh out of school. It’s given me a reason to talk to a variety of people in the planning industry. The RPAA is a meaningful way for me to give back to the school. It is something I care about and it is something that helps other people connect. It has also been a talking point with my peers. When I meet Ryerson alumni I mention that there is an alumni association that I’m involved with; so it sparks conversation. One of our newer team members was one of my cold calls for a sponsorship. He said, “hey I’m an alumni and I’d really love to be involved,” and now he sits on our board. It’s a great way to make new connections, stay in touch, and have fun and see your friends, all while planning fun events and growing community.
How have you passed your time professionally since graduating?
Since graduating I have had two jobs. First, I worked for a private firm called Swerhun Facilitation. They focus on consultation and engagement for governments and public agencies. In that role, I was working on a whole bunch of different city and provincial plans, policies and programs. I spent a lot of time working on Metrolinx consultation projects. In February, I transitioned to a role at the City of Toronto in the Transit Expansion Office, working on GO expansion. The work I did at Swerhun directly informs the current work I do for the City.
Do you have any favourite stories about your time at Ryerson?
My favourite experiences were the field trips to Chicago and Boston where we participated in bike tours, talked with city planners and explored the cities with a new planning lens. Also, the studio presentations. There were people in the audience who had genuine questions. Our clients attended, as well as others that simply came out of interest. It was a really positive and rewarding, yet terrifying, experience presenting to colleagues and strangers. It was an introduction to the real world, and I appreciated and welcomed that.
How do you think your time at Ryerson influenced your career?
I found the course work and curriculum to be both focused and flexible. The policy courses really helped give a good foundation for what you need to know, and how to approach work outside of school. There were a couple of electives I took, like Civic Engagement with Civic Tech, which bring you off into a new direction of planning that’s not part of the core course work, that you didn’t know planners could work on. You get to tap into a completely different mindset as a planner. Having a few years of professional experience following the MPl program, I can say that the assignments were very close to real-life planning, and I have found myself working on similar assignments in my professional life. One of my studio projects, the Wellington Destructor, I continued working on with Swerhun after I finished school. I helped develop and deliver a couple of public meetings around the future of the Wellington Destructor.
Do you have any advice you would like to share with new generations of Ryerson planning students?
The importance of meeting people. It’s hard and its uncomfortable and nobody really likes doing it at first, but the more you meet new people, the easier it gets and it really opens up a lot of opportunities. Join groups that get you connected and give you reasons to talk to people. Go to conferences, go to talks, set a goal of talking to one, two, or three people per event so that you can become visible. Get to know people, and be curious so that you learn what it is you are into and what you are not. Don’t be afraid to talk to people because, if I’ve learned anything on the professional side, people like talking to students who are interested and who are genuinely trying to figure out their path.