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Nicole DeNamur honored at Business of Pride

On June 8th, the Puget Sound Business Journal will celebrate LGBTQ+ business leaders at “Business of Pride: Outstanding Voices and LBGTQ+ Businesses. Among those honored is one of the department’s instructors, Nicole DeNamur.

Owner of Sustainable Strategies, a company that helps companies identify and manage risks centered around sustainable innovation, Nicole has been  speaking, writing, and teaching about sustainable spaces for nearly ten years. Before launching Sustainable Strategies, Nicole practiced construction and insurance coverage law in Seattle. Nicole has been an instructor in the Runstad Department since 2014, and teaches the course RE 459 Risk in Sustainable Development. Nicole’s course explores the intersection between sustainable practices and inclusive spaces.

Congratulations Nicole!

University of Guelph Undergraduate Real Estate Case Competition

Along with my teammates Ciara Joy Laney, Sun Choi, Ray Cui, and Jennifer Liu, I had the privilege of participating in the Undergraduate Real Estate Case Competition in Toronto, Canada hosted by the University of Guelph.

For the competition, my team and I were allotted a month to come up with a development proposal for a site located in Kitchener, Ontario. We would later present our development proposal in Toronto, Canada at the end of March. For our proposal, we researched many elements critical in real estate development projects such as the stakeholders involved and the Kitchener market. We also conducted a thorough analysis of the site accounting for topics such as zoning and variance. Additionally, our team produced a pro forma on our development plan to provide a compelling financial feasibility analysis. The month leading up to the competition involved countless team meetings, late night zoom calls, and hilarious moments when we were practicing our presentation delivery.

Overall, this was an experience I will cherish. It was truly a pleasure to not only work with my teammates, but also build friendships with them along the way. On top of gaining knowledge about the commercial real estate industry, I was able to refine other skills such as teamwork, public speaking, and time management through this opportunity. While in Toronto, I was also able to meet and network with industry professionals and university students from around the world that I still stay in touch with.

Thank you for this opportunity Runstad Department of Real Estate!

Hanson Dai, Class of 2024

International Alumni Student Panel

The University of Washington Real Estate Club held another successful event on April 5 in Gould Hall.  Organizer, Kevin Cao of Gemsdale, a frequent graduate student mentor, organized a diverse group of International MSRE graduates, who offered their unique perspectives and guidance on career exploration and networking. The panelists proved particularly adept at advising attendees on how to bridge cultural gaps with internal and external stakeholders, and blend into their future workplace. Moderator, Vivien Chim, kept the questions flowing and the students had numerous follow up questions as well.  This well attended event was peppered with current MSRE students,. undergraduates and recent alumni.  Before and after the panel, attendees had the opportunity to put their networking skills to use by engaging with the alumni. Food and beverages were provided by current Advisory Board president Shannon Underwood. Overall, this was an outstanding event that provided invaluable insights into the real estate industry and offered exceptional networking opportunities. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future!

2023 CoreNet Global Academic Challenge

Yijia Chen, MSRE Class of 2023 shares her recent experience traveling to Singapore to compete in the CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 13

A team of four graduate students in a Master of Science in Real Estate program advanced to the final round of CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 13 (AC13) in Singapore competing against more than 30 student teams from universities around the world. The team was asked to play the role of an internal corporate real estate professional for a global home appliance manufacturer in the challenge and to develop future workplace strategies given the rise of the metaverse. Ultimately, the team decided to adopt the strategy of designing for a hybrid workplace where VR and AR technologies can be applied to deal with the current and anticipated challenges of a hybrid workplace faced by both manufacturing center workers and office workers.

The UW team competed with the New York University and the University of Malaya, Malaysia in the AC13 Competition. Even though the UW did not win the cup, the Singapore experience is invaluable. The team attended a variety of exhibits, networking luncheons, and informational events during the three days of the summit. The team also met corporate real estate professionals from across the globe – Australia, India, Malaysia, London, Philippines, and Japan, just to name a few. The opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from their experiences provides an excellent opportunity to broaden the team member’s horizons and allow them to bring fresh perspectives into the Spring quarter classrooms.

A sincere thank you to Sofia, Skylar, Sakriti, Josh and other professionals from the CoreNet Washington Chapter for all of your support and guidance.

Ciara Joy Laney, Class of 2024

This month, cultures worldwide recognize and celebrate women’s accomplishments. In what ways, if any, has recognizing these celebrated accomplishments of women in Real Estate impacted you as a woman entering that same career field?

Celebrating the accomplishments of women in Real Estate has had a significant impact on me because representation matters. As the saying goes, “If she can see it, she can be it.” As someone interested in real estate development, it’s inspiring to attend speaker panels and see women taking their rightful place at the table. 

What prompted you to declare Real Estate as a major, and what have been some of your highlights as a student of the major?

I chose to major in Real Estate because it provides a platform for me to utilize my skills and passions in areas such as creativity, business finance, and communication. As a student, some of my highlights include serving as a Communication Manager for the Real Estate Club and representing the student body on the College of Built Environments Diversity Council. I will also be competing in Toronto, CA for my first real estate development competition at the end of this month!

Commercial Real Estate has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. How are women in today’s society working to change that narrative?

Women in today’s society are reshaping the narrative by supporting and advocating for each other. Organizations such as CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) are excellent examples of groups that aid and encourage female professionals.

In the area of real estate, why is mentorship important to women?

Mentorship is particularly vital for women in the real estate industry as it is historically male-dominated. It can be discouraging when one’s gender results in not being taken seriously. In an industry with such highs and lows, having a mentor can assist women in navigating these challenges.

How can we empower young women interested in real estate careers?

We can empower young women interested in real estate careers by addressing gender bias, educating ourselves, and celebrating successful women in the industry as role models. Small and consistent steps lead to big change. Progress is progress, no matter how small. 

Zeynep Akman, Class of 2025

Recognizing the hard work and dedication of women in real estate has definitely empowered me to step into a leadership role in this sector, even though there’s a high barrier to entry (but see presently). It’s also a great opportunity to learn from their work ethic and make note of attributes that helped them be successful in their careers.

2023 NAIOP Challenge

This week a team of graduate and undergraduate real estate students presented their proposal to a panel of judges at the annual NAIOP Real Estate Challenge, a development case competition in which teams from the University of Washington, University of British Columbia, and Portland State University real estate programs compete. Students create an investment proposal for a well-located development site. This year the site was in our own back yard, the Sound Transit owned site in the University District, where a tiny home village is  currently located. The UW proposal was heavily focused on affordable housing financing including low-income housing tax credits. This was a big challenge and a great learning opportunity for the students. Several industry experts were brought in to help the students with tax credit financing, land use code for high rise development in Seattle and other design challenges for this visible and important site.

The UW had a strong team for the competition.  Although they did not take home the Bob Filley cup this year, the real world experience creating a development project from the ground up is invaluable.

A sincere thank you to Al Levine and Hal Ferris, our faculty and industry sponsors for all the time you devoted to helping the students.

NAIOP Team 2023

2023 NAIOP Challenge UW Team

Ye Won Carey Jang, MUP ‘2023
Vivien Chim, MSRE ‘2023
Sam Jarvis, B.S. Real Estate ‘2023
Aarie Liebreich, MSRE ‘2023
Morse Lin, MSRE ‘2023
Jennifer Liu, B.S. Real Estate ‘2023
Tianyi Liu, MUP 2023
Jacob Melaragno, MUP 2023
Maren Grunnet, MUP 2023
Sam Shadkhast, MSRE ‘2024
Amy Towillis, MSRE ‘2023

 

 

Shuhan Yi, Class of 2024

This month, cultures worldwide recognize and celebrate women’s accomplishments. In what ways, if any, has recognizing these celebrated accomplishments of women in Real Estate impacted you as a woman entering that same career field?

As a woman entering the same career path as those who are recognized and praised by the media and organizations, I feel like I gain more confidence in building up my career journey. Highlighting women accomplishment posts inspire me to gain hands-on experience from different types of occupations in the real estate industry and do my best in every aspect. They are my role models and they teach me nothing is impossible and women can do great things just like men.

What prompted you to declare Real Estate as a major, and what have been some of your highlights as a student of the major?

I declared real estate as my major because I have been interested in property management, asset management, and portfolio management since when I was a little girl. I would love to build up a solid knowledge base of real estate and seek professional advice from professors, student ambassadors, and advisers regarding future career opportunities. I actively participate in group assignments and establish a bunch of good friendships with peers in class, which is something I am passionate about. In the future, I hope I can establish a bigger career network and ensure which occupation I would like to pursue.

Commercial Real Estate has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. How are women in today’s society working to change that narrative?

The best way to change the narrative that real estate is male-dominated industry is showing everyone that women are capable of doing great in real estate. Big achievements made by women in real estate are concrete evidence that gender cannot and should not permanently determine one’s occupational potential.

In the area of real estate, why is mentorship important to women?

Mentorship is important to women in real estate because a good mentor will guide you, support you, advise you, and help you to set up career goals and future career paths. A mentorship impacts career trajectory since we will have a better understanding of the real estate industry and corresponding career choices and future growth and the very start to slowly form our own network and personal achievements.

How can we empower young women interested in real estate careers?

To empower young women interested in real estate careers, we should set up informational seminars about the real estate industry every quarter and also encourage young women to find their potential by trying a variety of job positions in the real estate industry. Gender-assigned roles and occupations ingrained in most minds and we should educate young women that nobody can belittle their potential and dream career just because we are women and they should chase their dreams regarding negative prejudiced criticisms.