About Me
Howdy!
My name is Kayla Leal, and I graduated from Texas A&M University (Whoop!) with a Bachelor of
Science in Urban and Regional Planning and a minor in Sustainable Architecture and Planning. My career began
in January of 2017 and continues as a Planner with the City of San Antonio's Development Services Department.
My past experience and education have resulted in my professional interests including zoning and land use,
sustainable urban revitalization, community engagement, public spaces, Geographic Information System (GIS),
environmental and transportation planning.
I began studying urban planning my second year at Texas A&M. I took an introductory course and became
inspired by William H. Whyte's studies of social behavior and city dynamics. That course helped me decide to pursue
a career in planning. I was exposed to an entirely different perspective of my surroundings and environment. I hope
to impact cities and communities in a positive way over the course of my career.
Aside from being a planner, hobbies I enjoy include traveling, hiking, cooking, sports, and spending time with family
and friends. My website provides potential employers information regarding my education, work
experience, and various projects I have worked on. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or comments.
I can be reached by email at kaylaleal93@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Resume
OBJECTIVE
My objective is to provide an online resume and portfolio which displays my experience and skills.
EDUCATION
BS in Urban and Regional Planning, Aug. 2012-May 2016
Minor in Sustainable Architecture and Planning
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Course, Spring 2016
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Our senior capstone project assisted Mike May, President of the U.S. Padel Association, in conducting research
of a Houston neighborhood and organizing two community meetings in order to proceed with his plans to construct
a public padel court facility within the City of Houston. Duties included researching the neighborhood to
complete a State of the Community Report, facilitating and presenting at public meetings, and designing site plans.
National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Institute 2015
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Six week program for undergraduates interested in learning research methods and working with a faculty supervisor and mentor. The program focused on investigating social disparity and vulnerability. It was required to participate in presenting research projects at a Capstone Research Symposium at Texas A&M University and at a professional conference.
Texas A&M Sustainable Communities Study Abroad Program, May-June 2014
Bonn and Berlin, Germany
Five week program to study sustainable communities in Germany through excursions and tours of sites.
First four weeks were spent living with a host family in Bonn, and the fifth week was spent studying final sites in Berlin.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Planner, City of San Antonio, Jan. 2017 - Present
San Antonio, TX
I am currently employed with the City of San Antonio as a Planner with the Zoning Section in the Development Services Department. My responsibilities include case management of zoning and plan amendment change requests, preparing and giving presentations to the Zoning and Planning Commissions, and providing excellent customer service to applicants and citizens. These duties require various skills such as multi-tasking, paying close attention to detail, public speaking, and analytical thinking.
Planning Intern, Harlingen-San Benito Metropolitan Planning Organization (HSBMPO), Aug.-Dec. 2015
Harlingen, TX
Interned with the MPO, Planning & Zoning Department, and performed tasks for other departments within the City of Harlingen. Work consisted of research and data gathering, creating zoning maps in ArcMap, brownfield site assessment, and public outreach and interaction.
Outreach Specialist Intern, Office of Sustainability, Aug.-Dec. 2015
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Interned with Texas A&M’s Office of Sustainability during the fall semester of my junior year. Work consisted of public outreach through informative presentations and participatory events on and off campus.
Shift Leader, Taste of the Tropics, Nov. 2013-Aug. 2014
College Station, TX
Taste of the Tropics is a locally-owned smoothie shop and my tasks included providing customer service, cashier, and managing and supervising closing shifts.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT
Volunteer with Viva Streets Harlingen, April 2016
Harlingen, TX
The HSBMPO arranged an open streets event in Downtown Harlingen which encouraged the community to engage in physical activity and commute by bike without the worry of vehicular traffic. I initiated several planning stages while interning with them such as informing and surveying the public, and I also volunteered to run their bike rental booth.
Social Chair, Future Leaders in Urban Planning (FLUP), Aug. 2014-May 2015
Texas A&M University
My tasks included planning social events and gatherings for this undergraduate urban planning organization.
Member of the American Planning Association (APA), 2014-2016
Social Media Officer & Member of Texas A&M’s Club Handball Team, 2015-2016
Job Site Leader, Big Event Organization, March 2014 & March 2013
This event provides community service to local people and families in need. As job site leader, I was in charge of communicating with our host and coordinating with other members of our group.
Volunteer with Texas Reds Festival, Sept. 2014 & Sept. 2013
Downtown Bryan, TX
I volunteered as a beverage server at this annual festival which introduces local vineyards and breweries to the community.
SKILLS
Technical
ArcMap, Stata, AutoCAD, Microsoft Office Suite, Photoshop, SketchUp, InDesign
Personal
Communicate effectively, adapt and learn quickly, self-motivated, team player, public speaking, problem-solving, multi-tasking, analytical thinking, goal-oriented
Portfolio
Sea Level Rise and Social Vulnerability Research Project
I participated in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates Program meant to expose undergraduates to research-based projects in order to get a feel for what graduate school would consist of. Dr. Galen Newman, Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, and Dr. Walter Peacock, Professor and Director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, were my advisors for this project. I looked at the relationship between social vulnerability and rising sea levels in Galveston County, Texas. I designed a poster to present my research at the 2015 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Annual Conference and wrote a research paper over the content of the project. They are both posted here.
City of Rio Hondo Zoning Map
I worked on multiple projects while interning with the Harlingen-San Benito Metropolitan Planning Organization (HSBMPO). One of my projects consisted of collecting zoning data from entities within our service area. I collected a zoning map in Portable Document Format (PDF) from the City of Rio Hondo and imported it into ArcMap in order to add zoning to the attribute table for parcel shapefiles I obtained from the county. The final zoning map I created is posted here.
Capstone Project: Padel Facility Site Plan
For my senior capstone course our class worked with Mike May, the President of the United States Padel Association. We assisted May in his developmental process of opening the City of Houston’s first public padel facility. Our class was split into multiple groups and we were each responsible for a State of the Community Report, facilitating part of a community meeting, and presenting two site designs that we created. One of my groups’ final site design which we presented is posted here. Personally, I worked on the rendering and cross-section for this site design.
Near Northside Land Use Map
As part of my capstone course, we researched the Near Northside Neighborhood located in north Houston which is where our project took place. As part of our State of the Community Report I used ArcMap to create a Current Land Use Map for the neighborhood. My map is posted here.
Rezoning Case Notification Map
I assisted the City of Harlingen’s Planning and Zoning Department with by making notification maps for the city planners’ cases. Towards the end of my internship, I took on my own rezoning case and presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The notification map I created for this specific case is posted here.
Bicycle Rack Design GIS Project
During my Introduction to Geographic Information System (GIS) course, I paired with my classmate, Jessica Wiggins, for our final project. We decided to look at the relationship between bicycle rack design and their functionality within the boundaries of Texas A&M University’s main campus. Our final report is posted here.
Contact Me
Email me at
kaylaleal93@gmail.com
View my LinkedIn Profile.