Flipping for Urban Planning, an Interview with a FLiP Alumna

Each year, the Planning Commission organizes a program called Future Leaders in Planning (FLiP) for local high school students to learn more about urban planning as a potential career path. Since its inception in 2016, the program has been a huge hit with students and parents alike. Traditionally, urban planning is a subject students are not exposed to until college or graduate school. FLiP changes that and addresses educational pathways to the career, inspiring future planners.

Staff have been working on connecting more with program alumni to evaluate the practical effects of FLiP on students’ futures. We wanted to see where their lives had taken them and how influential the program had been on their career choice. We are lucky enough to have one alumna join the Plan Hillsborough team recently. Mariella Overdorff, Planner I of the Strategic Planning Environment and Research Division, was kind enough to give us some of her insight.

What year did you attend FLiP?

I attended the FLiP program in 2018.

What path did you take since participating in FLiP to get where you are now?

After FLiP, I attended an architecture camp (my original degree choice) at FAU to compare what I learned about planning to another related field. Ultimately, nothing compared to how urban planning made me feel. I decided architecture wasn’t the path for me, but I did attend FAU for their Urban and Regional Planning program, where I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

While at FAU, I had the chance to study abroad in London and Paris, which opened my eyes to how planning can look and feel completely different across the world. I brought those lessons home with me. I also gained hands-on experience interning with the City of Boca Raton.

When the opportunity came to work for the organization that first sparked my passion for planning, I jumped at the chance and here I am today!

Looking back, what was the most pivotal or transformative moment for you while you were a participant in FLiP?

Growing up, I loved to play building games like SIMS (I still do actually!) and I hear a lot of planners play games that incorporate some type of building aspect. The pivotal moment for me in the FLiP program was walking around Ybor, then drawing my own plan of how I would make it better. I saw how I could use my creativity and make real change. It was my favorite game in real life, and I realized that I could do what I loved for a career, I was sold.

Did you ever imagine that you would one day be on the other side, working for the organization that once helped you?

As a kid and a teenager, I couldn’t picture myself in the shoes of the people I looked up to. Everything seems so far away when you’re young. I would never have thought that a summer camp 7 years ago would launch me into my passion, and then re-enter my life. It is definitely a full-circle moment. It is very fulfilling and meaningful to be a part of the team that inspired me in the first place.

What skills or lessons did you learn during FLiP that have been most valuable in your current job?

The FLiP program was my first introduction to urban planning, and it was valuable to me to start looking at the world differently from a young age. I have always been hyper-aware of gaps and disparities in our communities, but I learned to see the potential and opportunities for turning the current state into a positive one.

Collaboration is a big part of planning, and throughout the Ybor project, the team had to blend everyone’s ideas. I think that was a big teaching moment. Planning is not just what you think is best; it is a community effort.

For those skeptical about the work of agencies like this one, what would you want them to know?

Coming from a new perspective, it was very interesting to see how important community input is. We learn that in school, but seeing how these planners genuinely think about the lives of community members and reading every single comment was inspiring. I wish for those skeptical to know that I have seen real passion here and real long hours to ensure that the best decisions are made. I want the community and neighbors to feel heard and understood, because at the end of the day, we are here for you.

What, if anything, would you change about FLiP based on your personal experience as a participant?

Honestly, FLiP gave me such a strong foundation that I wouldn’t change much. It clearly is working, and I am not the only success story. My close friend who did the FLiP program a year after me is finishing up her Master’s in Urban Planning within the next year, and another FLiP alum friend is just starting her academic journey to become a planner.