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Cohort 2

Jurisdiction: Pollocksville

University: UNC-Chapel Hill

Hometown: New Bern, NC

Nate Polo served his fellowship in the Town of Pollocksville, where he established a digital communications and online presence for the rural community. He also facilitated the Floodprint planning process between the Town and academic experts and conducted community outreach on the plan. The Floodprint provided a clear path forward in funding possibilities and sought to support the local economy and natural habitats in Pollocksville.

Polo graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a bachleor’s degree in geography and minors in city and regional planning and history. While at UNC, he was a fellow with the Humanities for the Public Good Initiative and was awarded the John Douglas Eyre Award for Outstanding Leadership. Working with the UNC Institute for the Environment and NC State University’s Sea Grant, Polo did research as a GIS technician and community liaison for his hometown of New Bern, North Carolina, where he used technical applications of urban planning to promote environmental justice in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

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