by Mason Pelletier

My name is Mason Pelletier. I live in the Highland Park neighborhood in Rochester. I am going to be a senior in high school, and I am attending the Aquinas Institute of Rochester. I play football and baseball for my school, and I also do a lot of volunteering in the city as well.

I found out about the profession of urban planner relatively recently. I knew that I wanted to work with the community in some way, but I was not sure how I wanted to help. One way I found out how I could help was through urban planning and real estate development. The reason why I want to become a planner is because I want to help communities live up to their full potential. I want to help them build a neighborhood and an environment where they can get what they want and what they believe is best for their community.

My internship here at Highland Planning has taught me that this job takes a lot of effort both from the community and the planners themselves. I really liked going to the public meetings and finding out how the community feels about different projects and developments. I love going out to the people and asking what they want for their neighborhood. It is a way to stay connected to your city and a way to get to know the people that you are working to help.