Derek Lee

Why I'm minoring in Urban Studies: As cities are globalizing and becoming more urban, there is a need for us to address the challenges that come with such growth. As a Human Biology major, I am passionate about public health, specifically about creating healthy environments that foster healthy communities. I understand that in order to address such challenges, I need to deepen my understanding of how our cities work.

What I like best about Urban Studies: I love how the classes are small and help foster a lot of fruitful discussion. Everyone is so nice in Urban Studies and we're all so passionate about so many different aspects of the urban atmosphere.

Favorite class / professor (and why): Danno's Introduction to Urban Design class is one of my favorites. Danno is such an easygoing and creative person and the class really helped me gain lots of practical skills for urban design and really helped propel my interest in Urban Studies further.

Favorite book (and why): Switch is a great book that talks about behavior change from a behavioral economics standpoint. I also was touched by When Breath Becomes Air, which is a memoir of a former Stanford undergraduate who unsuccessfully battled terminal cancer during his medical residency at Stanford hospital.

Career goal / Future plans: Right now, the plan is to work in an urban planning consulting firm for a few years before getting a dual degree Masters in both Urban Planning and Public Health. The dream is to have a career dedicated to marrying my interests in urban planning and community health promotion.

Other academic interests (major, minors): Human Biology, concentration in Planning and Design for Community Health Equity

Extracurriculars: Stanford Pre-Medical Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), Stanford Axe Committee, golfing, sampling interesting foods from different cuisines, San Francisco Giants, San Antonio Spurs, sports cars.

Something else you should know about me: I am a huge fan of white wines and boba. I also love sushi. One time, I stuffed myself so much that I couldn't move at an all-you-can-eat sushi place. I swore that I would not eat sushi for a month. The next day, my class held an event with free sushi and I just could not resist and had to give in.