EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Dana Kahn, Class Of 2018

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — The student talent show put on by the National Honor Society at Evergreen Park Community High School is held every year as a way to raise money for charitable causes and organizations. NHS students choose a different cause to support every year, and the event has become one of the highlights of the school year for so many.

Dana Kahn, a 2018 alum of Evergreen Park Community High School, began performing in the EPCHS talent shows as young as age 10 with her dad as she had older siblings attending the school then. Having performed the guitar and other musical instruments, and singing, throughout her own high school years, she’s been a presence at more than a decade worth of talent shows.

Now, well out of high school and working full-time as the city planner of the Village of Homer Glen, Kahn said she’s nearly ready to take the idea of the NHS Talent Shows to the next level by performing “Music for a Cause” shows on her own for different charities.

“It’s those NHS benefit concerts that I’ve been doing since I was 10 that led me to want to do music projects as a cause,” Kahn said. “They are a way for me to combine my interests in science and music into one.”

A possible beneficiary of one of her concerts is the Ronald McDonald House, which provides comfort, care and support for families with children who are sick around the world. Kahn has been volunteering for them for years, even dating back to her years as a Mustang student involved in the National Honor Society.

“I’ve always done a ton of volunteering on my own, but in high school I did some for NHS hours as well,” she said.

NHS was one of a plethora of activities Kahn found herself involved with in high school. She was in both the concert and jazz bands, part of a Science Olympiad team that she served as co-chair and one of two student ambassadors to the Board of Education her senior year.

“I also remember taking an AP art history class and how challenging it was. But it also helped prepare me for college.”

Her greatest memories are all connected to helping others, like her role as a peer mentor for the NHS. It’s that attribute that led her to seek a career in local government.

“My background is in environmental science research, with a focus in community engagement,” she said. “Having all those different volunteer opportunities and community involvement inspired me to pursue a career in local government.”

After graduating from EPCHS, Kahn earned both her Environmental Science undergraduate and graduate degrees from Emory University in Atlanta, where she minored in music and was involved in the jazz ensemble. Her music career also continued to blossom at Emory, where she began her activism in climate change with her “Notes of Equity” musical performances, performing as a participant in Whale Week for North Atlantic Right Whales, helping organize an on-campus plastic-free carnival, and founding Emory University’s Climate Coalition.

There she also won first place in an art contest at the Global Climate Action Symposium held at the Georgia Institute of Technology amid other awards for climate action while studying at Emory. She's now described as an environmental scientist and musical advocate with a focus in geospatial analysis, field work, sustainability, and community engagement.

Following college, she then took part in a number of internships, saying she’s “interned somewhere every year since junior year of high school,” before landing her first full-time position in Homer Glen.

As the village’s city planner, Kahn interprets and administers the village zoning code and comprehensive plan.

“I work on and research long-term developments, and also review building permits and zoning applications,” she said.

Through the job, Kahn is heavily focused on public engagement, meeting with residents and local business owners daily. Her environmental science background comes into focus as well, as she’s currently working on a tree ordinance to help preserve more trees in the village and is the village Staff Liaison to the Environmental Committee.

“I love the job,” she said. “Government is a really good fit for me because I come from a background in volunteering and working in the community. This feels like the right place for me.”

At the moment, Kahn is working toward becoming a certified planner through the American Planning Association.

Down the road, she has a goal to become an urban planner focusing on “sustainability and helping cities develop while also preserving trees and improving transportation systems in equitable and sustainable ways.”

Outside of work, she’s excited about expanding her “Music for a Cause” idea, having written several original songs focused on climate advocacy since her college years.

“One of the aspects of this is music therapy,” she said. “Climate change can cause climate anxiety, and it’s music that helps alleviate those stresses.”