Inaugural Equity, Justice, and Inclusive Design Fellowship Recipients Madison Davis and Ethan Knight-Scott Reflect on Fellowship Impact

Photo of Ethan Knight-Scott and Madison Davis
Zoe Kafkes
Ethan Knight-Scott and Madison Davis are the first students to be awarded the EJID Fellowship established in 2020.

In 2020 the School of City & Regional Planning reissued a statement committing to justice and inclusive communities. Attached to the statement was an action plan setting out a list of goals and clearly defined plans to pursue the advancement of social and racial justice. 

One of these specific actions was to:

"Increase financial aid for Black students and students of color. Start a fellowship targeted to such students through development opportunities. These and other strategies will advance the School’s aspiration to be among the foremost institutions that graduate Black students and students of color."

The Equity, Justice, and Inclusive Design Fellowship campaign launched in November 2020 to meet this goal. MCRP students Ethan Knight-Scott and Madison Davis were the inaugural recipients.

A Conversation with Davis and Knight-Scott

How has the EJID fellowship impacted your ability to study at Georgia Tech?

Knight-Scott: "When I applied to graduate schools in the winter of 2021, I honestly expected that I would have to take on mass amounts of debt to complete any program. Between that potential financial strain and other issues I was having at the time, I considered delaying graduate school even though I had confidently planned for it since years prior."

"Receiving the EJID fellowship gave me a sense of support and security that I would at least have the financial backing I needed to pursue graduate school and explore my interests at Georgia Tech. In the end, the EJID gave me much needed assurance to stick to my original graduate school plan."

Did the EJID fellowship play a role in your admissions decision?

Davis: "The EJID fellowship made coming to Tech the clear choice when weighing my different admissions offers. Even with comparable financial offers, the EJID fellowship's inclusion of a GRA made the School a better option."

Why did you pick the Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning and city planning as a discipline?

Knight-Scott: "There’s a long list of reasons I picked the School and city planning, but the most important characteristics of the school that attracted me are the diversity of the faculty, the annual international planning studios, and the school’s general engagement with planning issues in metro-Atlanta."

"I chose the major of city planning itself because I want to focus on policy issues relevant to my home region of metro-Atlanta. I previously pursued my interest in international affairs and global politics at the University of Georgia, but realized I was missing the skills and knowledge to change the environment immediately surrounding me. That desire to focus my energy on improving the place I call home is what drove me to pursue city planning."

What is your favorite classroom moment since you began your studies in the School?

Davis: "Unfortunately, the first years made a pact with Dr. Clayton and thus I cannot share my favorite classroom moment despite it being hilarious. In general, however, the overall learning environment has fostered super productive, intellectually stimulating discussions that have led to many memorable moments."

What is your dream job when you graduate?

Davis: "I'm not sure what my 'dream job' is in a traditional sense, but I would love to work with cities to better design neighborhoods and districts with food infrastructure in mindlooking towards localizing food supply networks, integrating permaculture design principles to increase the viability of community gardens and better manage stormwater, planting on food forests as crucial green infrastructure, etc."

Knight-Scott: "If I’m just daydreaming, it would be Transportation and Housing staffer/advisor for the congressperson representing Georgia’s 5th Congressional District (which is Congresswoman Nikema Williams for the foreseeable future)."

"If it’s a lucid dream though, I’ll be shooting for Georgia Secretary of Transportation."

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