TOMMY WAN
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WELCOME TO MY WEBPAGE.
Hello there. My name is Tommy Wan, and I am an undergraduate student studying Civil Engineering, Government, and Plan II at the University of Texas at Austin. I focus on:
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Civic Engagement: I am a proponent of empowering civic engagement in underserved and multicultural communities. I was born and raised in Alief in Southwest Houston. We are a historically disadvantaged community—whether it's lackluster infrastructure, an academic gap, or low propensity voting. I want to enact change, and I firmly believe we must do it as a community.
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Hopes & Dreams: I love learning for the sake of learning. As a first-generation student, I hope to pursue graduate school after my B.S./B.A. I would like to focus my studies on the intersection of civil engineering with policy. I hope to graduate with my J.D. and M.S./Ph.D. in these fields.
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PROJECTS & INTERESTS
Research: The world is rooted with issues that require innovative solutions. I have the privilege of researching with the Faust Research Group under the mentorship of Dr. Kasey Faust. I am in the Academy of Distinguished Alumni Research Program, wrote a conference paper for the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, and am working on my thesis titled "Spatial and Qualitative Assessment of Air Quality Perception-Reality Misalignment in Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas: Findings and Policy Interventions." My research interests include infrastructure vulnerabilities, urban development, sociotechnical misalignments in engineering, and opportunities for policy intervention.
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Policy: The government is a powerful tool that undergirds our democracy. If done right, ethically, and with common sense, government can serve communities effectively. I have experience at different levels of governance: Houston City Council, the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the non-profit space. I appreciate points of disagreement, where parties can strike a balance between prudent collaboration and bedrock belief. Such a component is integral for healthy democracies.
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​Alief, my Home Community: Alief is more than my home in Houston—it’s a powerful mosaic of sari stores, taquerías, African groceries, Iglesias, dim sum spots, and Islamic Masjids lining Bellaire Boulevard. It’s a community defined by cultural prowess, working-class grit, and a sense of solidarity. But Alief is burdened by deep-rooted challenges: environmental injustices, low-propensity voting, infrastructure needs, civic neglect, and the title of the “Forgotten District” in local representation. These issues propel me everyday to do more for a community that I love so dearly. We began AliefVotes in 2022 to support this endeavor.
Mentorship: The proclivity for community leadership that I see through youth involvement in Alief ISD, in the heart of Southwest Houston, is empowering. From hour-long Zoom check-ins about project ideas to seeing students testify about capital projects before the Harris County Commissioners’ Court, my heart is warmed by intergenerational leadership in our collective communities. When I see students who have been in our program for 4+ years and subsequently attend Harvard, Stanford, and MIT to study policy, I am incredibly encouraged.
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Pastimes: I love going to the gym, running, and spending time with family and friends. I am a licensed pilot. I also enjoy tennis, pickleball, classical saxophone, and uncovering the stories of reality through non-fiction books.