(Angeles Martinez Cuba)
Master’s Student, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
A native of Lima, Peru, who studied traditional architecture, Angeles Martinez Cuba shifted her focus to urban planning to work on providing people with equal access to basic services.
Having worked on education infrastructure for the government of Peru, Martinez Cuba is now investigating the relationship between public schools and their surrounding communities for her MIT thesis. “My hope is that in the future, schools become anchor spaces in which neighbors can assemble, develop a sense of community, hold social interactions, and carry out civic life through the shared use of school-community spaces,” she says.
The José Miguel Bejos Fellowship Fund helped bring her to MIT to pursue this work. “I feel beyond grateful for this funding,” she says. “The fellowship helped me have a clear mind from other economic concerns and take full advantage of MIT’s resources.”
One key MIT resource for Martinez Cuba is its diverse community. “I am thrilled by the Department of Urban Studies and Planning’s vastly actionable vision and multi-angle approach to address social and urban challenges,” she says. “Because of my time at MIT, I have become even more passionate about social and sustainable development.”
Meet more MIT fellowship recipients.
—Joelle Carson
This article was originally published in August 2021.