The Etkin Johnson Student Scholar Scholarship program is designed to immerse its participants into the thriving land use industry in Philadelphia. From October 2017 through May 2018, the participants will attend ULI Philadelphia events, committees, become volunteers, meet with a mentor and network with ULI members to enhance their scholastic endeavors and learn the benefits of ULI membership. Winners received one year of a complimentary membership as well as complimentary registrations, participation in the mentorship program, as well as other benefits.

Aminat Temitope Akanji

Aminat Akanji is currently a Real Estate Development graduate student at Thomas Jefferson University, East Fall, Philadelphia, PA. Akanji led and managed the Business Development and research Unit at Suis Properties Limited. She conducted market research to develop an understanding of the competitions, opportunities and customer and translate client business objectives into a business intelligence strategy.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from University of Ilorin, Kwara State and a Masters of Risk Management from University of Lagos. She hold a certificates of distinction from Cousera on Competitive Strategy as taught by Munich School of Management. She became an associate member of Risk Managers Association of Nigeria in 2014.

Ramune Bartuskaite

Ramune Bartuskaite is currently pursuing her Masters of Architecture degree with a focus on Urban Redevelopment at the University of Pennsylvania.  She received her Bachelors degree in Architecture with a Minor in Marketing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

She is currently taking courses at the Architectural Association School in London through a visiting school program at the University of Pennsylvania where she’s focusing on developing her expertise in the urban fabric of metropolitan cities.

Rachael Griffith

Rachael Griffith is a planner and registered landscape architect with a passion for cultivating environments where people can connect with each other and with the land. Rachael has experience in the private, non-profit and public sector as a landscape architect, planner, organizer and program coordinator. She currently serves as the trails and open space planner at Chester County Planning Commission. Rachael graduated from Temple University with a Bachelors Degree in Landscape Architecture and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jibran Khan

A Bay Area native and Penn 2012 undergraduate alumnus, Jibran Khan returns to Philadelphia to pursue his MBA at The Wharton School, majoring in Real Estate and Finance while also obtaining a certificate in Real Estate Design & Development from Penn’s School of Design. Jibran’s passion for real estate first came about while working for the San Francisco-based technology start-up HotelTonight, managing strategy and growth for hotel owner/operator groups. Most recently Jibran worked for a full-service real estate investment & advisory firm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is passionate about urban development/re-development, and specifically interested in the dynamic change facing American cities given ongoing demographic, technological, and commercial shifts.

Kyle Kobilka

Kyle Kobilka is from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He is currently studying City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, in addition to his undergraduate focus on Urban Studies and Real Estate. Koblika is looking forward to a career in real estate making Philadelphia a better place to live, work, and play.

Lufeng Lin

Lufeng Lin is from Guangzhou, China. She is a first-year graduate student majoring in City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania. Lin received her bachelor degree in Urban Planning at Sun Yat-sen University in China.

Nick Nanakos

Nick Nanakos is the  CEO, & Co-Founder of TruckBux, a mobile app which will revolutionize the food truck industry. His work experience includes an Accounting Internship at Ameriprise Financial from June – July 2014; Sales Consultant at Investors Capital Financial Services for the summer of 2015; and Financial Analyst at JP Morgan Chase & Co from 2015-2016. Nanakos recently completed his final co-op, as a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions team at Balfour Beatty Communities; a real estate services company delivering acquisition, management, and renovation services in the multi family, student housing and military housing sectors. This past year, Nanakos founded the Drexel University Real Estate Club and is the standing President.

Ian Patterson

Ian Patterson has always been passionate about commercial real estate, watching Boston evolve over the past 15 years. He was always fascinated with the “Big Dig” in Boston, and am amazed to see the possibilities that have opened up to build eye-catching, innovative areas in the Seaport, North End, and South End. Patterson watched Boston transform through his father’s camera lens, as he photographed the architecture & design of the developments in New England for commercial firms. Since moving to Philadelphia for college,he has have been amazed with the plans for the future, with Schuylkill Yards developments, and has been inspired by numerous people he met around Drexel and Philadelphia.

Nicole Robertson

Nicole Robertson is pursuing her MBA as member of The Wharton School’s Class of 2019 and has been honored with selection as a Wharton Forté Fellow and CREW Network Foundation Scholar. Following her passions, she will pursue dual majors in Real Estate as well as Business Economics and Public Policy.  While she serves as the Vice President of Alumni & Faculty Relations for the Wharton Real Estate Club and is on the Content Planning Committee for the 2017 Wharton Women’s Summit, Nicole is a member of Wharton Women in Business, Rebuilding Together, Volleyball Club, and Boxing Club.  Prior to Wharton, Nicole graduated cum laude from Georgetown University with a BA in Mathematics and dual minors in Business Administration and Studio Art.  Her undergraduate studies have been enhanced with a Masters degree, also from Georgetown, in Real Estate Development and Finance, where she graduated with a 3.98 GPA and the #1 ranked Capstone project.

Julia Sher

Julia Sher is a first year MBA student at the Wharton School concentrating in real estate. Originally from New York, Julia graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 where she studied East Asian Languages and Civilizations and International Relations. After college she spent four years working at Google in Mountain View, London and New York. She worked on three different teams while at Google; the Compensation Team, the Google Fiber Expansion Strategy Team, and most recently the Google Fiber Real Estate Team. Julia was previously a member of the ULI Young Leaders Group in New York and is very excited about joining the Philadelphia ULI community.