Education & Professional Life

I’M A BADA**.

“I am an experienced professional in the composition of market research within real estate and architecture. My educational background complements this, as I had just completed my Master’s Degree in Real Estate Economics and Land Management from Aalto University, with additional studies in the field of architecture.” by Connor

I began my studies at North Carolina State University in 2010, but quickly had to change course because I hadn’t found my group or my calling. I really wanted an authentic college experience and to get the chance to live in more of a metropolis. I applied for and was accepted into the five-year business program at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. I immediately packed up my things and was on my way. In Boston, I quickly assimilated and found my friend group. This was “my place”. I even worked for Harvard Management Group for a semester. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a concentration in Management and Finance in May of 2015. But, trust me, I also did my share of partying and exploring New England in these years. I played [and won] a lot of trivia at a local bar. My family came to visit me and we spent Christmas in my loft apartment. I developed a taste for Dunkin Donuts AKA “Dunks”. I learned to endure the craziest winters. But still never got a taste for “lobsta”.

I moved back to NYC to be close to my family, but also because it’s the best city in the world and I was hired to work as an Alternative Investment Services Analyst at J.P. Morgan from December 2015 to June 2016. This job gave me decent insight into life as a professional, but I found a more fitting job for me — and one with a view of Central Park — with Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Company… AND it was in Manhattan! I worked here as a Research Analyst from July of 2016 to August 2018 and even came back the following summer between school semesters.

In September of 2018, I received a full scholarship to study in Helsinki, Finland and hopefully score a job as an Urban Planner as a result. While I was there, I joined a special Finnish Guild and was given black and hot pink coveralls with which I would prove my popularity by attaching patches for every school party I’d attend. Let’s just say, my fingers would bleed from all of the patches I had to sew on. I also earned the coveted hat and tassel, which had traditionally been reserved for Finnish students. I traveled to the Baltics and up to the Arctic Circle. I went dog sledding and learned to speak some Finnish. I went polar plunging most weekends and spent countless hours [naked] in saunas trying to gain every visceral experience possible. I discovered an exchange program in Valencia, Spain through the Polytechnic University where Santiago Calatrava studied. I was getting a little cold in Finland and thought this may be the perfect way for me to learn Spanish. So I did. I lived in Valencia, got a pretty good tan playing football and volleyball on the beach, threw tomatoes/had tomatoes thrown at me for the La Tomatino festival, learned Spanish, dyed my hair, got many tattoos, perfected my Paella recipe, made some best friends, and toured every square inch of Spain from August 2019 to July 2020. Unfortunately, COVID hit while I was there and kept me inside for a few months but in this time I did a lot of cooking and typing. I finished up my thesis on “Analyzing the Impact of Redevelopment on Urban Communities: Developing Strategies for Successful Inclusive Integration” and graduated from Aalto University in July with my Master’s degree in Real Estate Economics. I put out application after application in the winter months hoping for a job opportunity by January and an offer in the field of Urban Planning.