Jeremy Latimer '03
 About
Jeremy
Jeremy graduated in 2003 with a degree in
international studies and a minor in German. While at
Richmond, Jeremy was the president of UR Crew, a student manager
at Boatwright Memorial Library, a German drill instructor, and a
member of the International Club and Ambassador Program.
Jeremy spent a summer abroad in Berlin and a
semester abroad at the University of Konstanz in Germany.
Jeremy currently works at K. W. Poore &
Associates, Inc, as an urban planner, a profession, in part,
inspired by his experiences living in and observing well-planned
cities while abroad.
Personal Statement
Ever since I can remember, I've had two
passions: foreign affairs and urban planning. The two
seemed to conflict as I struggled to incorporate both in my
career choices. One could take me out of the country, the other
was as local as careers can get. My experience abroad united
them both.
Growing up in a suburb of Nashville, TN, I
watched my community change from open fields and hills to
cookie-cutter cul-de-sacs and widened roads. Something about
the inevitability of suburban growth bothered me, but I wasn't
able to articulate why. My first study abroad experience at UR
in Berlin ignited my passion for well planned cities. I'd never
seen such convenient transit before: Pedestrians dominated
streets! Trains glided and didn't burst ear drums with
screeching steel sounds. Busses ran often and on time!
I saw potential for America's growing communities.
My second experience abroad at UR was a
spring semester in southern Germany at the University of
Konstanz. In five months I made life long friends, reached a
level of German proficiency I never thought possible, and
traveled all over the European continent – without a car!
Today I am an urban planner and while I
work with smaller communities throughout the Commonwealth, my
experience abroad infused me with ideas and the possibilities
for American cities. I've joined the ranks of many planners and
urbanites who see the potential for our communities to grow in a
way that is not purely dependent on owning a car. Maybe someday
I'll work abroad, or maybe I'll influence Virginia's communities
with what I learned from German cities.
I still love traveling to new cities and
towns, foreign and domestic. My experience abroad gave me life
long friends, connections overseas, and closer relationships
with professors at UR. I'd encourage any student at UR to go
abroad and seek inspiration in other cultures no matter your
field of interest – art, sports, people, languages…cities!
Contact Jeremy
Jeremy invites students to
contact him about his
experiences at Richmond and abroad (or if they need convincing
to go abroad!)
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