Meet Daja Walker-Parker, a real estate graduate student from Chicago, who is currently earning her Master of Science degree at DePaul University’s Department of Finance and Real Estate. Daja attended Harold Washington College and earned her Associate’s degree before transferring to DePaul where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in 2020. Daja chose DePaul not only because of its proximity to her home and family, but also because of its top-ranking business school and real estate program. She decided to continue at DePaul for her Master’s due to her abundant scholarship opportunities and DePaul’s 4 plus 1 program. During undergrad, Daja was a part of the 4 plus 1 graduate program in which she was able to take three graduate classes over the course of her undergraduate experience which positioned her to complete her Master’s degree as a graduate student in just one year as a full-time grad student. Daja will complete her MS in real estate at the end of 2021 AQ.
Daja’s original interest in real estate was around luxury residential properties. However, over the course of her time at DePaul, she developed an interest in commercial real estate after taking a real estate valuation course with Mildred Terzic. Daja loved learning about all sectors of commercial real estate, but was especially interested in retail and office sectors. Additionally, she also finds the family sector intriguing because she ultimately would like to invest in real estate and have multifamily assets. Daja attributes Terzic as the reason behind her decision to pursue a career in commercial real estate due in part to the in-class exposure to case studies and real-world experience, ultimately prompting Daja to gain industry experience through formal internships and employment opportunities.
Daja is a firm believer in the power of networking and leveraging relationships both at DePaul and with industry professionals. During undergrad, Daja was the secretary of DePaul’s Real Estate Club and she landed her first internship with Caprock, a local real estate company, as an accounting intern. Although her first internship was an unpaid, Daja realized the real payment was the experience itself. She excelled so much in her role as an intern at Caprock, they hired her on as a broker.
After Daja’s time at Caprock, she had a slight shift in career and is now working with JLL as an associate property manager for a property in downtown Chicago. Daja enjoys attending construction build outs for new tenet spaces and watching the transformation of spaces into something completely new. She greatly admires the talent and time it takes to plan and construct a space and loves that she can be a part of the process. All the hard work and energy Daja has put into her academic and professional career has not gone unrecognized, as she recently received the NAIOP Scholarship from the Chicago chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
Alongside all her other outstanding work, Daja is determined to fight for the marginalized groups of people working—or trying to work—in the real estate industry. Daja explained, there is so little representation of minorities, women, and people of color that she wants to show current industry leaders and professionals that there is a place for everyone in this field. She vows to create a safe, welcoming space for all her future employees and coworkers and wants to show that minorities can enter a field and hold a place. She wants to be an example to other young professionals who are looking into fields they may not be represented well in and plans to change the industry one good deed at a time.
A piece of advice Daja would give to incoming students is to “network, network, and network some more! Go out and make connections, learn about internships and job opportunities.” She emphasizes the importance of reaching out to DePaul alum, which is how she was introduced to her current job, and states that “nothing is more beneficial to your career than the power of the DePaul Alumni base.” As a future two-time alum herself, Daja is more than happy to help anyone who may have questions and would love to continue to be a part of the DePaul community through outreach and mentorship after she graduates.
Daja would also like to extend a special thank you to the Real Estate Department, especially Olinda Rios, for motivating her to apply to scholarships and the Master’s program. She would also like to thank all the DePaul faculty, staff, and alumni who have been so generous, caring, and kind to her throughout her DePaul journey.
With her tenacity, strength, and ability to light up any room, there is no doubt Daja will be running Chicago’s real estate industry in no time! Best of luck with all your future endeavors, Daja!