This fall we're delighted to work with interns in our Outreach, Research & Policy, and Communications departments. While they all share a passion for parks, Chris, Bushra, and Rena bring varied, and valuable, perspectives to NY4P's work.

Chris Henchey, Research & Policy Intern

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Chris currently lives in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He is a first-year graduate student at Rutgers, getting his Master’s degree in City & Regional Planning with a certificate in Transportation. He is assisting New Yorkers for Parks with assembling data for the Bay Street, Bushwick, and Long Island City Open Space Indexes using information gathered during the Summer of 2018. Chris will use the experience gained to assemble clear and effective reports and to incorporate open space into future transportation projects. His favorite park is the Middlesex Fells Reservation just outside of Boston, which has miles of woodland trails for hiking and running.

Bushra Naqi, Social Media Intern

Bushra Naqi is a New York native currently residing in Harlem, and a senior at NYC Museum High School. As a nature-lover, she is extremely thrilled to be the Social Media Intern at New Yorkers for Parks. Bushra often spends her free time roaming around in the beautiful parks of New York with a book in her hand. She has an interest in giving back to the community, specifically, to people of low-income. Being an intern at NY4P will add onto her individual purpose and her love for the environment. Bushra has also been a sailor for 4 years through Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS). She enjoys long walks while listening to music living the fast-paced NYC life. 

Rena Pinhas, Outreach Intern

Rena Pinhas currently lives in Manalapan, NJ and commutes to NYC using public transit. Rena recently graduated from Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy with a Bachelor’s of Urban Planning and Design and a minor in Psychology from Rutgers’ School of Arts and Sciences. She is planning to pursue a Masters of City and Regional Planning, with a concentration in design and greenspace, at a planning accredited university next year. Rena’s study of new urbanism makes her excited to see how projects beautify the city while bringing communities together. As an outreach intern at NY4P, Rena is responsible for helping the Outreach team with The Daffodil Project, from preparation to day-of distributions and plantings and interacting with community members from all the five boroughs at these events. Her favorite park is Central Park. She appreciates the diversity of its landscape and offerings: bodies of water, running trails, landmarks, playgrounds, skating rinks, large open fields, boulders to climb on, public plazas for people to gather, and so much more.