CUP’s core staff supports the organization from day to day, but CUP projects are designed and implemented by teams of artists, designers, educators, activists, and researchers.
Participatory Budgeting
Technical Assistance
Rent, Rights, and Repairs
Public Access Design
How Can I Improve My Park?
Making Policy Public
Pay Up!
City Studies
The Water Underground
Urban Investigations
Child Support?!
Making Policy Public
Former Interns
Michael Anderson
Michael was CUP’s fall 2014 intern. A recent graduate from Parsons The New School for Design, he completed ... moreMichael Anderson
Michael was CUP’s fall 2014 intern. A recent graduate from Parsons The New School for Design, he completed his BFA in Communication Design with departmental honors this past May. He previously held internships at a music label, a chess club, a gallery, and a Brooklyn-based community organization. Originally from Portland, Oregon, he likes his coffee black and gets nostalgic nearly every time it rains. He hopes to continue to use his graphic design knowledge to create a positive impact in his community by working with non-profits and other local advocacy groups.
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Cassie Ang
Cassie Ang was CUP’s fall 2015 and spring 2016 intern. She is a designer who loves cities, people, and systems. Born ... moreCassie Ang
Cassie Ang was CUP’s fall 2015 and spring 2016 intern. She is a designer who loves cities, people, and systems. Born and raised in Singapore, she’s interested in understanding and addressing systemic injustice, particularly in urban settings. To that end, she is currently pursuing a BA/BFA at The New School in Urban Studies and Service Design. Before The New School, she pursued a Diploma in Visual Communication (Graphic Design) at Temasek Polytechnic. In her spare time, she’s also a hand-letterer, cook, and writer.
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Shauna Badeker
Shauna is working on her undergraduate degree in Community Studies with a minor in Literature at the University of ... moreShauna Badeker
Shauna is working on her undergraduate degree in Community Studies with a minor in Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, go Banana Slugs! Her passion for social justice, alternative education, and travel have brought her to CUP. She is on a mission to break down the injustices of “the system” and to pull knowledge from everywhere she can. You might find Shauna running around New York City (literally running) training for her next marathon, waiting in absurdly long lines for poetry slams, or laying in the sun eating a burrito (back in California, of course).
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Tess Bath
Tess Bath was a CUP intern. She is a Hunter College student studying “Urban Space and Politics” through ... moreTess Bath
Tess Bath was a CUP intern. She is a Hunter College student studying “Urban Space and Politics” through CUNY’s Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies Program. Straddling geography and urban studies, her focus aims to break down the complex web of actors/systems/structures that produce urban space. Tess spent a good long year drooling over CUP and was honored to be given the opportunity to continue this practice in the splendor of their office. Hailing from southeast Florida, she spends much of her time pragmatically reimagining the notoriously “apolitical” suburbs and hopes to apply her experiences in the city and with CUP to alternative and critical pedagogical initiatives back home. In her free time she enjoys jamming out on the air guitar to Weezer.
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Clair Beltran
Clair Beltran is CUP’s Program Coordinator and is also a former intern. She is a recent graduate of Middlebury ... moreClair Beltran
Clair Beltran is CUP’s Program Coordinator and is also a former intern. She is a recent graduate of Middlebury College where she studied Architecture and Geography. She is interested in the intersections between sociology and design and how different people experience space. Having spent the past 5 years in Vermont, she is excited and overwhelmed at being back in her hometown of New York City and relearning what it has to offer.
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James Boyd
James was an intern for CUP 2018-19 school year. He was an Urban Studies major at Vassar College with concentrations in ... moreJames Boyd
James was an intern for CUP 2018-19 school year. He was an Urban Studies major at Vassar College with concentrations in Sociology and Geography and a minor in English. Originally from Massachusetts, he is interested in the ways that architecture shapes the ways people perceive space and how preservation can be used to empower forgotten narratives. When he is not commuting to CUP from Poughkeepsie on the MetroNorth, he enjoys reading, knitting, and exploring the Hudson Valley. He is excited to support CUP’s urgent work in creating better and more equitable futures.
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Zoe Celeste
Zoe Celeste is CUP’s Intern with the New York Arts Program. She is a visual artist from Wisconsin and a senior ... moreZoe Celeste
Zoe Celeste is CUP’s Intern with the New York Arts Program. She is a visual artist from Wisconsin and a senior philosophy student at Kalamazoo College. She is passionate about art’s ability to make learning accessible and invigorating. With her last two years of college online, she is excited to support learning environments outside of the classroom that give students ownership of their education. She loves that CUP makes complex issues accessible and of real use to the people involved. Her favorite phrase is “separated but not separate”.
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Aaron Chiu
Was it ‘Choice or Chance’, that the lure of finding the Great Reuben would lead Aaron to the ‘Core ... moreAaron Chiu
Was it ‘Choice or Chance’, that the lure of finding the Great Reuben would lead Aaron to the ‘Core Curriculum’ of the Big Apple? Interspersed between prowling deli-lined alleys of Gotham at night, he found refuge in the welcoming arms of CUP, who guided him through a maze of public policy and planning issues, as he used ‘21st Century Skills’ to cut and paste the pieces together. What will happen next? Down which road will this lead him? ‘Are You Ready for a Ruckus?’ Follow him on his next great adventure!
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Braden Crooks
Braden began life as a gardener turned landscape architect, before entering into the fray of community organizing and ... moreBraden Crooks
Braden began life as a gardener turned landscape architect, before entering into the fray of community organizing and advocacy. Once he graduated with a BLA from Penn State, Braden founded Groundswell PA, a citizen’s coalition that successfully banned fracking on the local level using a Community Environmental Bill of Rights. Since then, he came to New York for a graduate degree in Design and Urban Ecologies at Parsons, in which he hones his praxis developing forms of horizontal organizing, solidarity economies and political ecology. In his spare time, Braden produces a webseries talk show about New York. Some day, he plans to cook lunch for the whole CUP office.
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Julia Espero
Julia was CUP’s summer intern. She is currently pursuing a BA at Stanford University in Urban Studies and Social ... moreJulia Espero
Julia was CUP’s summer intern. She is currently pursuing a BA at Stanford University in Urban Studies and Social Change. She loves learning about the multidimensional aspects of people and their stories manifested into art. In her own life, she’s exploring the Filipina diaspora in her artwork and scholarship. As a person of the world, she’s invested in practicing and finding ways to hold and actively create space for individuals and communities to live healthy and full lives.
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Matthew Evans
Matthew was an intern at CUP. He recently graduated from the Academy of Innovative Technology. In the fall, he will be ... moreMatthew Evans
Matthew was an intern at CUP. He recently graduated from the Academy of Innovative Technology. In the fall, he will be attending SUNY Cobleskill to study Culinary Arts. He is a former intern at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and was drawn to CUP because they also did work surrounding housing rights. Also, he loves the creative aspects of CUP’s projects. He hopes to take his experience from CUP and incorporate the knowledge he gains this summer towards his goal of bringing food and health justice to low-income, minority New Yorkers.
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Esmeralda Figueroa
Esmeralda was a CUP intern. She is a rising senior at the Academy of Urban Planning. She looks forward to going to college ... moreEsmeralda Figueroa
Esmeralda was a CUP intern. She is a rising senior at the Academy of Urban Planning. She looks forward to going to college to study business and management and later pursue a career in art and design. She spends her free time sketching and enjoys trying new techniques to better her art skills. She is passionate in keeping people united by using different forms of art to help express one another.
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Rosa Gil
Rosa Gil was an intern at CUP in 2016. Rosa enjoys going to the library, morning walks to the park, spending time with her ... moreRosa Gil
Rosa Gil was an intern at CUP in 2016. Rosa enjoys going to the library, morning walks to the park, spending time with her family, gaining new experiences, and learning about different aspects of society. Based on her interest in teaching and medicine, Rosa aspires to be a doctor.
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Miranda Grundy
Miranda was one of CUP’s summer 2019 interns. She is from Rhode Island where she is finishing up her degree in Ethnic ... moreMiranda Grundy
Miranda was one of CUP’s summer 2019 interns. She is from Rhode Island where she is finishing up her degree in Ethnic Studies at Brown University. She transferred to Brown last year in pursuit of studying the many issues she feels passionate about such as public health outcomes, affordable housing policies, immigration reform, LGBTQ rights, media representations of minority groups, and intersectional approaches to feminism. In the future she hopes to pursue a career in social advocacy organizing or go on to graduate school and teach at the college level. In her free time she loves to discover new music, journal at a coffee shop, or spend time outdoors.
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Tia Guerrier
Tia was CUP’s Spring and Summer 2020 intern. A recent graduate of Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New ... moreTia Guerrier
Tia was CUP’s Spring and Summer 2020 intern. A recent graduate of Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School where she completed her BA in Literary Studies with a concentration in Poetry. Her work focuses on how language can cast new meaning, translate the invisible, and illustrate the importance of connection and community. She is a current graduate student at The New School for Public Engagement MFA in Creative Writing, Publishing & Design, and will continue to center community and civic engagement in her professional and academic pursuits.
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Jacob Hernandez
Jacob is a native Texan and recent graduate of the Parsons The New School for Design BFA Communication Design program. ... moreJacob Hernandez
Jacob is a native Texan and recent graduate of the Parsons The New School for Design BFA Communication Design program. During his time at Parsons, his interest for design and social justice within urban and social landscapes was shaped through collaborative-based classes, community-driven projects, and internship opportunities with local non-profit organizations. His senior thesis project focused on responding to the needs of LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness by designing participatory tools that worked to affirm and empower LGBT young people. He plans to continue to explore his passion for advocacy through his design practice and volunteer opportunities.
You can also find Jacob playing ultimate frisbee in Prospect Park, embarking on cityscape photo adventures, or eating tasty veggie burgers at his favorite vegan restaurant in Greenwich Village.
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Parker Johnson
Parker Johnson was CUP’s Spring 2021 intern. Parker is currently pursuing a BA in Studio Art at Hope College. ... moreParker Johnson
Parker Johnson was CUP’s Spring 2021 intern. Parker is currently pursuing a BA in Studio Art at Hope College. Residing near Lake Michigan, her passion for adventure has led her to learn more about the environment and form new connections with different cultures. She loves photography and wants to help advocate for social and environmental change through design. In her spare time, you can find her at the dog park or swimming in Lake Michigan.
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Oumar Kane
Oumar Kane is CUP’s summer 2019 High School Intern. He was born in Ohio and spent time in Africa before moving to New ... moreOumar Kane
Oumar Kane is CUP’s summer 2019 High School Intern. He was born in Ohio and spent time in Africa before moving to New York City to start his first year of high school. Oumar is a Junior at International Community High School and participated in 2 CUP projects during the year. These projects made him interested in interning at CUP. He is very interested in going into the health field when he graduates from high school. Oumar is also very creative and loves art which is another reason why he really wanted to intern at CUP. During his free time Oumar loves to play sports and exercise in order to stay fit. One of his favorite activities is to research and know more about the world.
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Jeff Kasper
joined CUP as an intern and Weston Scholar from The City College of New York. He studies art and the social sciences, with ... moreJeff Kasper
joined CUP as an intern and Weston Scholar from The City College of New York. He studies art and the social sciences, with an independent focus on the perceptions and aesthetics of cities. He is interested in exploring how visual media can illuminate obscured shared values among diverse groups of urban dwellers. Jeff frequently engages in various design, writing, research, curatorial, pedagogical, and public projects. He currently is a contributor to The City Atlas of the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities, as well as GreenspaceNYC. His work has been featured at venues including the Art Directors Club, Phoenix Design Museum, FIGMENT, PS Project Space, among others.
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Margaux Lacroix
Margaux was a CUP intern. Originally from Southern France, she’s a student at l’Institut d’Etudes ... moreMargaux Lacroix
Margaux was a CUP intern. Originally from Southern France, she’s a student at l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Aix-en-provence, where she studies political science, law, and economics. She is however, interested in art and working with artists and is considering a Masters in Arts Administration. Before CUP, she was a Triangle Arts Association intern in Brooklyn. In her spare time back home, she cooks, facilitates children care, and fights for animal rights.
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