Meagan Knapp graduated from the University of North Texas with 36,000 other students. She felt like a number, a lost number. She was surprised by the small class size and direct contact with professors and directors at the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management. The program, Meagan claims, changed her life.
Meagan Knapp, Master’s in Real Estate and the Built Environment 2018
Meagan worked hard to get to graduate school. The first-generation student attained a cosmetology license and worked as a hairstylist to put herself through undergraduate school. After graduating from the University of North Texas, Meagan wanted to pursue a career in real estate. She took the LSAT thinking she might get a degree in real estate law.
“After speaking with many professionals in the industry and my Daniels Graduate Admissions contact Sarabeth Morofsky, I decided to apply for the Real Estate and the Built Environment (REBE) program. Sarabeth was the biggest help. I realized I didn’t need to go to law school and rack up more debt in order to achieve my career goals.”
Meagan launched into REBE by taking a property development course her first quarter.
“The knowledge I acquired was unreal. You have to figure out how much things cost, finance the construction, the design, all of it. What I love most about this program is the style of experiential and project-based learning allows students to take the knowledge acquired within the classroom and apply it to a task in the real world.”
Later in the program, Meagan enrolled in the CityCraft course, where students learn about regenerative development. She’s now interning with CityCraft.
“I not only learned about the negative stigma and actions that surround the industry, but solutions on how to combat those actions. I learned about natural systems and how to work with these in specific geographic areas to use the full potential that a space has.”
Meagan says she’s gained top experience and three amazing mentors. She’d love a job in regenerative development, but is currently working at MetrixIQ as an Eligibility and Enrollment Lead for the Denver Preschool Program. The position allows her to work on all contracts that have to do with real estate, retail spacing or construction inspections. She even worked on Denver International Airport’s retail program.
“I would challenge any perspective REBE student with a strong financial background to take the CityCraft course. Not only does it challenge your perspective on pro-forma analysis, but also forces you to gain a complete understanding of the triple-bottom-line.”
It’s clear this first-gen student isn’t just a number anymore.