Jefferson Mao is an urban planning student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a dedicated commentator on issues relating to immigration, entrepreneurship, and local economic development. He draws a lot from his observations on the phenomenon of social mobility, especially the way it has played out in his own life and in his neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. Jefferson runs the news and commentary blog Flushing Exceptionalism, which investigates the issues of his home neighborhood but also generalizes their importance to similar places across urban America. He has worked for the Center for an Urban Future and the New York City Mayor’s Office.