A double shot of planning
It took Conor Kennett a few years to start his higher education journey. Now, the second-year MURP student is embracing an array of networking and career opportunities through the Humphrey School.
What Conor Kennett may have been lacking in terms of career direction and drive coming out of high school, he’s more than made up for in recent years.
Kennett, now a second-year student in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs’ Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program, lights up when he talks about his chosen field of planning, the events that brought him to the Humphrey School, and the various directions his career might take.
He’s thrilled that his cohort of MURP students shares his passion, and that he’s been able to tap into the expertise of mentors and professionals in the planning community while finding his own foothold through meaningful projects.
A tip on a new career direction
Kennett grew up in southwest Colorado, and later moved to the outskirts of Chicago. A self-described C student in high school, Kennett wasn’t interested in college. Instead, he briefly worked for his dad’s construction business and then got a job at Starbucks—which turned out to be a turning point for him.
Kennett took advantage of a Starbucks program that offered its employees tuition reimbursement for online undergraduate programs at Arizona State University. He also discovered ASU had a program in urban planning, which is something of a rarity in undergraduate education. An advisor described to him what a planner might do.
“It’s a way to use creativity to solve problems, and I really like puzzles,” Kennett says. “Especially now that I’ve learned more about zoning and development and how everything works, it is really a puzzle to solve.”
Kennett graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and a minor in sustainability.
Embedded in the community
About five years ago, Kennett moved to Minneapolis with his wife and began thinking of graduate school. He spoke with a public works executive, who told Kennett that the Minnesota planning community “is like a family once you get in, but you gotta get in.”
After learning about the Humphrey School’s MURP program, he applied and was accepted.
“It was such a good decision, not only because of the faculty and the people in the industry I’ve been able to meet, but also the students and my cohort here are special,” he says. “Even the new first-years [students] who have come in—it’s such a similar group of people that’s attracted to the program. Everyone is super friendly and everyone wants to hang out; we’re all friends.”
Kennett has had opportunities to work on community-based research projects. For example, as part of his Neighborhood Revitalization course, he did research on trends in the fitness industry for V3 Sports, a holistic wellness center in North Minneapolis.
For his capstone project this spring, Kennett is working with a team of students to explore the feasibility of an apprenticeship degree program for urban planners at the Humphrey School, which would be the first of its kind in the country.
Kennett’s career aspirations have evolved as he has progressed through the MURP program. Working in the community and economic development aspect of city planning is his current goal, he says.
He also loves being at a school that’s embedded in a dynamic city. “It never feels too theoretical; there are major projects happening in the area that we can apply what we’re learning to,” he says. “Planning is this small world that has these big impacts. And everyone is really invested. It doesn’t matter what aspect of planning you’re working on, you are there because it’s your purpose.”