Keys to the City: Milano Graduate Sherin Bennett Named New York City Housing Fellow
Having just completed a masters’ degree in Urban Policy, Sherin Bennett (Milano, ’11) is about to embark on one of the field’s most-coveted training programs: Bennett has been named one of four Housing Fellows in a joint program operated by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and the Housing Development Corporation. Running from 2011 to 2013, the fellowship gives participants hands-on experience in the nation’s largest development market.
However, when Bennett arrived in New York just after college, real estate development was one of the farthest things from her mind. Like countless others, she moved to the city to pursue a career in theater. Focusing specifically on stage management, she worked in the wings for six years, and even earned an internship at Juilliard.
As she spent more time in New York, though, Bennett’s interests began to shift. After a few jobs in academic administration,, she says, I fell in love with the city itself, and out of love with the lifestyle of a freelancing stage manager.,
Bennett’s love of New York fueled her growing interest in how the city works, an interest that led straight to Milano’s Urban Policy program. At Milano, Bennett studied urban politics, conducted independent research on city programs, and interned at the Union Square Partnership. Now she’s ready to put her learning to work. Bennett notes that one thing that drew me to the fellowship program is that they really use the fellows as project managers, which will give me a chance to use the skills I learned at Milano.