Shania Santana

Shania Santana is pursuing an M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning at UCLA, concentrating in Housing. Her goal is to build a career in affordable housing policy to ensure everyone has a safe, stable home and that housing is recognized as a human right.

Shania aims to use policy as a tool to streamline and eliminate barriers to affordable housing production and preservation, strengthen tenant protections, secure permanent funding for housing and homelessness programs, and improve financing systems. She is excited to be a Merritt Scholar, eager to expand her network of emerging leaders and learn how different sectors can collectively drive systemic change in affordable housing.