Summer Fellow Interview: Kevin Flakes
Kevin is currently pursuing a master’s in Urban Affairs with special interest in urban inequalities and capacity building. Before entering the program, he consulted for Banking clients focusing on projects to mitigate risk, eliminate inefficiencies and improve customer experience. Kevin graduated from University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth with a BS in Accounting. He will be a fellow at the City of Providence, Department of Innovation this summer.
Why did you choose to apply for this fellowship and how did you hear about it?
I knew of the Initiative on Cities (IOC) by reading some of its reports on Twitter and occasionally getting emails. Upon joining the Urban Affairs program at BU, I was in search for unique opportunities to combine my experience in the finance industry as a business analyst with my interests in urban inequality and opportunity. The IOC Summer fellowship came across my feed and it had everything I imagined in the perfect opportunity—an opportunity to research solutions to inefficient government systems and lead the effort to make systems equitable and efficient. I jumped at the opportunity to apply.