This story has been changed on March 28 to correct a name misspelling. The Echo apologizes for this mistake.

 

When freshman Vision 3.0 committee member Amaya Fokuo steps into a town hall meeting as one of two minorities represented, she faces adversity on many levels.

“We had our first town hall meeting, and I was the only younger person there. I was the only non-white person there,” Fokuo said. “It was sad, it’s hard being the ugly duck in the room.”

City planner Meg McMonical said the Vision 3.0 committee is part of state-required decennial planning.

“We have to do a long-range plan for the city, and we have to do that by State law. We have to do that every 10 years, (and) that’s what Vision 3.0 does,” McMonical said.

McMonical said the committee initially focuses on the larger good of the community.

“First, we sort of want to go really big, what is the big picture. A lot of this is outreach and really getting community input,”McMonical said. “Once we have a big vision, then we can figure out how to incorporate it into all of the things that we do.”

Fokuo said her involvement with the city helped guide her towards her position on the Vision 3.0 board.

“I have worked for the city for about two years now through different committees, such as Health in the Park and the Wellness committee,” Fokuo said. “They vetted me and said that I was a good candidate for (the position).”

McMonical said committee members feel it’s important to involve a diverse range of people in the intake of input.

“One of the goals is to get really wide input on the future of the community and the city,”McMonical said. “Another (goal) is to feel as if anybody who wanted to be involved is able to be involved, and to make sure that people feel more a part of the community where they have a say.“

Fokuo said students can get involved in the process of the planning with ease.

“I think that (students) should get involved in our town hall meetings, which we hold after our committee meetings,” Fokuo said. “You have to come in, you have to tell us (and) you have to speak your mind if you want change.”

Fokuo said voicing student opinions becomes crucial when it comes to the future of St. Louis Park.

“As you get more involved, and as you keep working with the city and pursuing what you feel should be the future, you can stand up for yourself and your friends,” Fokuo said. “We know what we are doing, we know what we are talking about and we are the future.”