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University of Washington, Seattle

Name: Talia D. Kertsman
Address: US

Interdisciplinary Honors

B.A. Geography + B.A. Community, Environment, and Planning

Urban Design & Planning Minor

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society

Husky 100

Home: Welcome

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My little work bench, with my hot glue gun and cardboard scraps, was my first safe space where I could take risks and fix things on my own. I tackled my own obstacles. This little work bench was where I learned that constraints could inspire creativity and that space can dictate belonging. I worked at my bench in isolation, but nothing created in isolation will be filled with as much richness or depth as it could be if it were created in collaboration with others. At the time I had no idea that in my years at the University of Washington it would be the influence of other cultures, communities, and people that would determine my academic focus, professional interests, and general curiosities about the world.

I am fascinated by the relationship between people and physical space. Any time I pass a town square or walk through a museum I notice who is present, how people interact with others, and how the physical space enhances or prohibits certain interactions. I came to the UW seeking the language to discuss the questions that keep me up at night. As a freshman I wasn’t sure how to direct my academic path but I knew it needed to be interdisciplinary if my questions about the future of cities, spatial inequality, and belonging in space were going to become more clear. This period of exploration, both within and outside of Honors courses, was key because it led me to my first Geography classes where critical questions about spatial inequalities and power structures were discussed each day. I was hooked, and at the end of my freshman spring quarter I excitedly joined a department that I knew could offer me the language and tools I needed to thoughtfully develop and answer my own questions about human geography.

After about a year of taking Geography and Honors courses I realized I had a specific interest in urban environments and the institutions that make cities the vibrant and diverse centers they are. I joined the Community, Environment, and Planning program and declared an Urban Design & Planning minor to focus my questions about how spatial inequality is reproduced in the built environment even further.

Sometimes I think back to the girl that would sit alone at her little workbench, happily creating worlds for other people. Now, it’s because of the courses, experiences, and relationships highlighted in this portfolio that I no longer create or question in isolation, but rather seek out voices and positionalities that will complicate my understanding of the spaces people inhabit so I can be an actively antiracist professional and community member that centers people’s stories in my work and relationships.