Tara D. Sturm

Like many people these days, I am an individual that fills a variety of roles. I am not only a writer, but a student, an activist, a musician, and a cat owner. Whereas I don’t think breaking down my cat-parenting habits is terribly informative for those visiting my site, I’ve provided a look into some of the experiences I’ve had filling more relevant roles below.

The Writer.

I am a professional and creative writer with experience in web content, article, blog, and SEO writing. This experience includes a variety of topics and subject matter, though my preference is to focus on urban design, planning, and economics– particularly highlighting urban design, planning, and economic development. My work has been published on a variety of different online and print venues, including Buildipedia.com, Urban Times, and featured on Planetizen.com.

Writing for me isn’t just about making a few bucks (though for this starving college student it certainly helps). I’m passionate about the things I write, and I feel that the written word has incredible impact on what goes on in our world today. People read words and inform decisions based on the validity and pull of them. That, my friends, is incredibly powerful. Therefore, I try my best to embrace projects and assignments that are positive in nature.  I make a great effort to publish ideas and promote others’ ideas that concern those topics close to my heart: triple bottom line sustainability, human rights, development and improvement of the conditions in the third world, social and economic inequality, and the worldwide eradication of poverty.

I also write some mean poetry and fiction.

The Student.

My university career has been a whirlwind journey that started in 2004. After all too many major changes, transfers, and mid-20s crises, I received my B.A. in Sociology from the University of Akron in the ripe spring of 2011. My well-rounded undergraduate experience prepared me for the love of my life- a Masters program in Urban Planning. That’s right. I said it. You may not think planning is all that sexy, but a mixture of close to neurotic organizational skills mixed with a love for the arts and a passion for helping others really goes a long way to keep this girl from getting bored.

Many people ask me what I’m going to do after graduating (and what exactly urban planning is, and what a planner actually does). I tend to cop out of that question and say we’ll see where the market takes me. In all likelihood I’ll end up getting a PhD somewhere along the way, and in all certainty I will spend the rest of my life doing everything in my power to help others. I have always been a proactive, driven individual that has geared my academic studies toward societal and developmental improvement. I believe that tackling social, economic, and environmental world using a holistic approach will be the only way we can achieve and maintain sustainable success. Using a strong academic background in planning, economics, sociology, psychology, and business, I plan to achieve this goal even further through my post-graduate studies and off in the ‘real’ world.

I think it takes a well-rounded person to see how round the world really is- there’s nothing flat or static about it. I’m here to change with the times and find innovative solutions to socially-framed development issues worldwide, from food deserts to institutional inequality. Because it takes a village to raise a… well, village.

The Chick.

Yes, I know: How can I call myself  a “chick” and be thought of as an esteemed and socially educated young woman? Through all my years of gender studies and learning about social inequality, one thing I have learned is that everyone needs to lighten up a bit. I am a strong believer in (third wave) feministic ideals (look it up). I am, however, a strong believer in personality- and absolutely refuse to leave mine behind me for a pretentious sort of professionalism. I am a strong woman, have passionate beliefs about change that needs to take place in this world, and the drive to ensure that it gets done. I’m all about getting things done. Idly yapping has never quite cut it for me.

The fact of the matter is, however, that beyond all that fighting against injustice and the destruction of our physical and societal world, I’m just a chick. I’m a woman that has severely varied interests, a geeky fascination with learning new languages, a passion for both cooking and eating ethnic food, and an intense love affair with learning. Learning is the only antidote to stagnation and boredom.

Who can sum up their person in one silly page? Not this chick. I do, however, hope that you found this mildly interesting or informative.

Have a wonderful day!