Alex Israel’s Post

In honor of my last day of law school classes(!) I am genuinely thrilled to announce that this fall I will be joining The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) as the 2024-2026 Ralph C. Menapace Fellow in Urban Land Use Law. I came into law school seeking a career that would fulfill me as much as my work freelancing for the West Side Rag and volunteering with New York City Audubon and the American Museum of Natural History. I didn’t know exactly what it would look like, but I knew that the typical path pushed on law students didn’t resonate with me — and that whatever it was, it would ideally involve shaping NYC to be the best version of itself. MAS was founded in 1893 to beautify the City through public art. In the ensuing 100+ years, their mission expanded into working to protect the City’s legacy spaces, encouraging thoughtful planning and urban design, and fostering complete neighborhoods across the five boroughs. The opportunity to contribute to their work and dive deep into policy, advocacy, and legislative solutions for shaping a more vibrant and equitable city "from sidewalk to skyline," feels like the perfect fit. As I look ahead, I'm proud to have carved my own path and remained true to what I came here to do. But none of the last three years would have been possible without the unconditional support of my husband Bob. I'm lucky to be able to pursue a career that brings me joy and fulfillment, and I recognize that not every law graduate has this privilege. I'm so grateful to MAS for giving me this opportunity and so excited to get started! (Posting a view from my first visit to Governor’s Island, which was in part made possible thanks to MAS advocacy circa 1995. More on the historic impact of MAS’s work here: https://lnkd.in/dGWtSkYQ).