Alumni Spotlight

Dakota Crowell

BA Urban Studies & Sociology Minor, 2018 

As a student at UWM, Dakota Crowell led an initiative to open a food pantry to combat food insecurity on campus. Crowell was a leader within the Student Association (UWM’s student government.) Back then he commented that it didn’t surprise him that some of his classmates were having a difficult time finding enough food. But seeing the actual numbers was a little staggering. Crowell explained: “I had met students or have known friends who have experienced this…but I didn’t realize the percentage of that [issue] would have been so high.” He also says that he’s trying to be sensitive in the ways the pantry is marketed, keeping in mind that there may be different stigmas or barriers associated with receiving assistance. Crowell took on the project as his first project after being elected to Student Association. The food pantry has more than two-thousand pounds of food and other items. That includes food like ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, as well as personal toiletries, laundry detergent, and diapers for students who may also be parents. Crowell stated: “Securing these basic needs for students is quintessential to their academic success. We can’t really expect someone to be passing their classes if they know maybe they haven’t eaten for the last day, or are struggling to find where their next meal is going to come from.” (Dakota is currently a Planning Supervisor with the City of Bloomington in Minnesota).  

Read more about Dakota Crowell’s efforts and the UWM Student Food Center and Pantry in the article from WUWM 89.7. 

See UWM Graduation Video that features Dakota: 

Emma Snook 

BA, Urban Studies and Political Science, 2016

I moved to Milwaukee at 18 years old to work at an educational nonprofit, and then ended up staying to pursue a degree in Urban Studies and Political Science at UW-Milwaukee. Urban Studies has allowed for me to articulate and comprehend what I was seeing around me – the intense segregation of Milwaukee; the distressed middle school environment I worked at; the peculiar racial divisions between co-workers; and how the urban space that we see today was shaped by local, state and federal policies. Urban Studies permitted me to study geography, sociology, criminal justice, political science, urban planning, and history all in one—a true interdisciplinary major. The culmination of my major was my senior capstone project, where I spent an intense amount of time in the archives studying why early political fragmentation occurred in metropolitan Milwaukee (what were the political, social and economic reasons? What actors played a substantial role? What theories are applicable and what are the gaps?). 

As for my future plans as a graduate, I don’t believe I’m done learning yet—but I want to pursue knowledge in my own way, in other forms. I’m looking to travel out of the country again, hopefully to Chile—a four-month study abroad in Morocco showed me how much traveling allows for self-reflection, growth and understanding. (Emma is currently a paralegal in Colorado).

Jonatan Zuñiga 

BA, Urban Studies, 2015

The Urban Studies Program has changed the way I view urban life. I grew up in the South Side of Milwaukee and I know what it is to live through poverty, segregation, unsafe areas and disinvestment in public services, just like many people in Milwaukee. But the multidisciplinary approach of the Urban Studies Program gave me the tools to better understand the core of these issues. It is at the core of these issues where we will find the solutions, which is the most important thing for me. 

At times it was hard for me to understand why the topics of Urban Studies 250 and 377 were so broad. Every topic was so interesting that I wished we had spent more time on every single one. By the time I took the Urban Studies 600 and did my capstone on local economic development, I understood that all of the urban topics we had reviewed were connected and I knew that if I wanted to help solve urban issues than it was necessary for me to understand the historic, economic, political and social aspects of these issues. 

Now as the Community Outreach Manager at Layton Boulevard West Neighbors I will share my knowledge with the residents of the neighborhood to solve issues, but most importantly to work on the assets of the neighborhood and to help them achieve their potential. My future plans involve enrolling in the Urban Planning Master’s program at UWM and keep working to make every neighborhood of Milwaukee a place where people can live, work and play. (Jonatan is currently a Program and Evaluation Analyst for Milwaukee County.  Prior to that, he was the Deputy Director at the City of Milwaukee Election Commission and Director of Outreach and Engagement at VIA Community Development Corp.)