Adin Becker

Adin Becker is a first-year student in the Master in Urban Planning at Harvard University concentrating in international and comparative planning. His diverse interests, which span environmental planning, public policy, health, and economic development, have led him to engage with collaborative, place-based projects worldwide that position local communities as the arbiters of future progress. Before enrolling at Harvard, Adin completed a Watson Fellowship titled Jewish Persistence in the Periphery of the Diaspora during which he highlighted the disappearing traditions associated with Jewish communities in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. He also worked with remote communities to acquire grant funding for projects ranging from the construction of new water conservation infrastructure to the establishment of educational facilities. Previously, Adin also worked as an urban planner in his hometown of Portland, OR where he expanded bikeshare programs, helped embed equity within participatory planning processes, and established relationships with local nonprofits, donors, and the City of Portland to fund multicultural re-entry projects in gentrified neighborhoods. He received his BA in political science and Middle Eastern history from Pomona College. During his undergraduate studies, Adin helped lead his cross-country team to a national championship, organized Jewish cultural events on campus, taught summer courses in English and Science Fiction, and studied abroad in Jerusalem where he conducted research on Middle East-Latin America relations and designed curricula for high school students in Buenos Aires. Adin has lived and worked in 15 countries, is a polyglot, and believes strongly in the promise of international collaboration. During his fellowship with The Advocacy Project, he looks forward to working with Jeevan Rekha Parishad in Odisha State, India to contribute to malaria prevention, tell the stories of local tribes, and attract new project partners.