2023-24 President's Scholars

Mahdi Abbas

Rinehart Family Scholarship (Graduate)

Major: Urban and Regional Planning

College of Environmental Design

Activities: Director of Public Policy, Inner City Law Center; Assembly District 56 Delegate, California Democratic Party; Board member, Asian Democrats of Los Angeles County

One Word to Describe CPP: “Professional. The Urban Planning program is really set up to serve working professionals and that has allowed me and others to pursue an education while furthering our careers.”

A pivotal moment six years ago helped Mahdi discover his calling. Evicted and without options for affordable housing, he had just secured a room at a transitional housing project when his cousin called to offer a couch for several weeks, helping him to find a place to rent shortly thereafter. “It worries me that many people do not have cousins to give them a call. Without stable housing, it is so challenging to focus on long-term goals because the daily tasks of surviving become so difficult.” Focusing on affordable housing and development, Mahdi now balances his 3.95 GPA in full-time classes with a full-time job at the Inner City Law Center and strives toward his goal of removing housing barriers. “As an urban planner, I will prioritize uplifting low-income communities and communities of color and advocate to end homelessness once and for all.” Mahdi is grateful for scholarship support and the leadership skills he has learned in his program.