My name is Charlie Leigh, and I am a community development intern with Centergy. I am an incoming Junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Economics with a certificate in German.

This past year, I worked as an undergraduate assistant in community economic development with UW-Extension wherein I surveyed the structure and functions of economic development corporations in the state of Wisconsin. In this role I gained skills in data collection and survey design, along with a deeper knowledge of location theory and economic geography regarding the location, retention, and expansion of firms in regions. I am interested in the development of affordable housing, as well as correlations between the physical design of spaces and the choices of individuals in a local economy.

Following my internship at Centergy this summer, I will spend my junior year abroad in Freiburg, Germany, where I will be taking courses on the economic and political makeup of Germany and the European Union. Through this experience, I will acquire a better understanding of the economic relationship between Germany, the E.U., and the United States, as well as how differences in social infrastructure between these systems impact consumers’ behavior.

In the future, I hope to work internationally and in the U.S. with an emphasis on work in economics, real estate development, and urban planning.