Scholarship | Leadership in Landscape Scholarships/Fellowships

Leadership in Landscape Scholarship/Fellowship Winners

“My current project has sparked my interest in cultural and children’s landscapes and since the Council of Fellows scholarship provides the opportunity to attend the ASLA annual meeting, I will take advantage of it by networking with people from various professional practice networks. Hopefully, this experience will provide me with a better understanding of various practice networks, and a clearer direction in my career endeavors. Although my professional career goals are unclear, I am certain I will succeed in which ever practice I choose. As a personal goal, I will aid other students from underrepresented populations attain a college education and help build stronger communities.”
2008 ASLA Council of Fellows Scholarship
Yessenia Alvarez-Lopez
Undergraduate
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

“The ASLA Council of Fellows Scholarship comes as both an honor and an unexpected windfall in a crucial time. My education has depended entirely on financial aid and merit scholarships, hence the path, while infinitely enriching, has often been difficult, and I am grateful beyond expression to those whose contributions have fostered my success. The final approach to graduation should prove especially challenging and rewarding. I’m thrilled to have been accepted for a six-month internship in New York City, beginning in June. The cutting-edge firm has demonstrated an ongoing dedication to sustainability and also specializes in the therapeutic impact of design in healthcare. After my experience in my program’s Summer in Cortona, Italy, I knew I was committed to urban design as a primary vector, and I chose NYC as my ideal destination, because of the unique ecological challenges and green commitment of this quintessential metropolis. My first principle as a Landscape Architect is to work to make the world a greener place by championing increased implementation of sustainable building practices, while I also hope to concentrate on the restorative capacity of designed environments in urban settings, so NYC feel like a perfect fit.”
2008 ASLA Council of Fellows Scholarship
Morai Helfen
Undergraduate
University of Georgia

“As a future Landscape Architect, I will commit myself to the betterment of my community. Currently, I am an active member of the Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and have been involved with Focus the Nation, a “green” community effort to make a change in our world. I am interested and knowledgeable in “green” efforts such as water conservation, nature-friendly grading, and natural building materials. After achieving my Landscape Architecture degree, I look forward to experiencing a variety of the profession’s opportunities with a primary focus on sustainable “green” design concepts. With the growing concern for water conservation, there is a tremendous benefit to water conscious landscaping. I plan to focus on water-wise, environmentally-savvy landscape designs using the most current technological advances. My ultimate goal is to demonstrate that environmentally friendly landscaping can be both aesthetically attractive and smart.”
2008 CLASS Fund Scholarship
Kevin Blakeney
Undergraduate
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

“What challenges, excites, and inspires me most is recognizing and appreciating the beauty that exists in the surrounding landscape, whatever that might be, and finding creative, innovative ways to improve our ecological and social communities. I am interested in design that strengthens sense of place, fosters community participation, and increases our interaction with nature. Landscapes are dynamic and are constantly changing in response to nature and human activity. Landscape Architects have the power to engage in this dialogue and make decisions that will affect present and future generations. Just as landscapes are constantly changing I hope to have a diverse career working at a variety of scales and in various contexts. I believe that as designers we have the power and responsibility to create positive change and I am dedicated to achieving this through sensitive, ecologically and socially responsible design.”
2008 CLASS Fund Scholarship
Jessica Coleman
Graduate
University of California, Berkeley

“As a landscape architecture student at UCLA, I discovered my interest in the applications of green roofs and rooftop gardens. Following natural succession, these gardens increasingly benefit the urban environment over time. That is what inspires me the most. I see the profession of landscape architecture similarly to green roofs; in proliferation it is increasingly affective. Although, I am only one of many in my chosen profession, I feel that with a comprehensive knowledge base, a focused project-oriented goal and enthusiasm toward the larger picture, I can help people appreciate and rally for a better environment. I would direct my focus in turning urban places into more humane and environment-friendly places to live. By using green roofs, island heat effect will be reduced, rainwater adequately treated and cleaner air will allow urban dwellers to breathe with ease. I anxiously look forward to engaging full-time my career in the landscape architecture profession.
2008 CLASS Fund Scholarship
Aleksandra Cybulska
Undergraduate
University of California, Los Angeles

In 1999 Andrea Gaffney received a Bachelor in Architecture with a minor in Photography from Cornell University. She has since explored the cultural and physical landscapes as an architect, photographer and urban designer in various cities and capacities. Her work has led her to rappell down buildings documenting for safety inspections, teach photography to inner-city youth in the Bronx, work as a photojournalist in Nashville, Tennessee and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, facilitate a community-based vision plan for Downtown Nashville, and design blocks of housing in the Boston area. In 2006, she switched to the left coast to pursue further studies in the integration of sustainable and ecological principles within urban design. She will complete her coursework for a concurrent masters in Landscape Architecture and City Planning concentrating in Urban Design in Spring 2009 and is looking forward to continuing her academic and professional design careers in the Bay Area.
2008 CLASS Fund Scholarship
Andrea Gaffney
Graduate
University of California, Berkeley