By participating in the Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellowship, I will obtain first-hand experience and insight through the fellowship's seminars and visits. This experience and insight will come from a professional level. It will further develop my skills and understanding of how to effectively aid communities with my skills, community based designs, and initiatives.

My journey in obtaining a master's degree in Architecture comes to an end next Spring at Morgan State University.  I will continue my education as I go into another program centered around Sustainable Urban Communities or/and Landscape Architecture. I've learned a substantial amount about the built environment, from the foundation to the roof. One thing that stood out to me was community design and the lack of diversity in regards to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) within the built environment and how often designers will not consider their surroundings.

An ultimate goal and dream of mine is to become a licensed architect and landscape architect. By using the built environment, I believe it is possible to preserve and strengthen communities on a social and economic level. In the Summer of 2020, I was a part of a team organized by Dr. Samia Kirchner of Morgan Students. We were tasked to design an Urban Demonstration Kitchen, this kitchen will support an existing urban farm settled on an inner block in Park Heights, Baltimore MD. Park Heights is a low-income majority Black neighborhood with immense food insecurities. This development is currently being built and will tackle the food insecurities within Park Heights head-on.

Projects like these are the ones I wish to continue to work on and develop. The Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellowship will aid me in doing so and much more.

Durmon W. Jones III

2022-23 Mid-Atlantic Civic Fellow