Scholarship Recipients

Winner: 2026 Steven G. King Play Environments Scholarship

Ava is a third year student in the landscape architecture program at the University of Wisconsin, and originally from Milwaukee. They are passionate about play in public spaces, as well as designing and building sustainably. When the average playground has a lifespan of 15-20 years, Ava believes it is the designers responsibility to consider the afterlife of every built structure, as well as the toll of its production. Ava aims to some day run their own playground-design company that focuses on nature-based play, or to work hands-on in the field, doing work they really believe in. Outside of Ava's studies, they enjoy reading, particularly about environmental law and great-lakes-region indigenous history.

Winner: 2026 Landscape Forms Shane Coen Scholarship for Diversity in Design
Winner: 2026 LandDesign Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Scholarship

Zuri Askew is an honor Landscape Architecture student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, also minoring in Construction Management. Zuri's work focuses on creating equitable, lively green spaces in communities that often lack access. Growing up in Norfolk's Coronado neighborhood, Zuri experienced a lack of accessible, community-focused outdoor areas which fueled her interest in landscape architecture. AS the current President of the student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Zuri spearheads projects that link students with design opportunities, mentorship, and civic involvement. Her commitment to community-centered design has earned her several awards and scholarship, including a feature in a WHRO article that showcased her vision for the old Coronado School site reimagined as filled with gardens, play areas, and places for people to gather. Beyond her studies, Zuri leads the "Reclaiming Coronado" project and remains dedicated to civic service while using design to empower communities.

Winner: 2026 Hawaii Chapter/ David T. Woolsey Scholarship

Brandi Baligad is a Master of Landscape Architecture student at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Being born and raised on the island of Kauaʻi, Brandi is deeply passionate about people, culture, and the character of place. Coming from a multicultural background, she views the land through the lens of ideologies passed down from kūpuna (elders), to her, encouraging a reverence for that which gives us life. With the hope of becoming an advocate for the importance of well-designed landscapes, Brandi is committed to making these places more accessible to those in Hawaiʻi. In her current studies, she is exploring the ways that development can occur within an indigenous framework with Native Hawaiian values as the foundation. After graduating, Brandi hopes to remain in Hawaiʻi to give back to her community through design. Outside of school, she enjoys going to the beach as well as making and engaging with art.

Winner: 2026 EDSA Diversity Scholarship

Manal Dar is a final-year Master of Landscape Architecture student at the Rhode Island School of Design. Having lived across multiple regions of the world, she is inspired by diverse ecologies and the social dynamics that shape them. With a background in architecture, she seeks to deepen her understanding of how design can act as a restorative practice in fostering relationships between humans, materials, and the living world. She aims to explore how soil remediation can become a social and ecological design practice within post-industrial urban contexts. 

Manal serves as Co-President of RISD ASLA and works as a Biomaterials Research Assistant at the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab. Outside of school, she is an artist, jewelry maker, aerial yogi, avid traveler, fungi enthusiast, and curious learner. Manal hopes to apply her education towards creating resilient and equitable landscapes that nurture both people and the planet.

Winner: 2026 Courtland Paul Scholarship

As an enthusiastic landscape architecture student at Purdue University with a rich Hispanic background, Jesse knows that there is a story living in every project. With over a year of professional experience, he understands the importance of creating a strong narrative, coordinating with consultants, and bringing projects to fruition. He plans to specialize in themed entertainment design, where he can immerse people in extraordinary, exciting environments that bring smiles to all ages.

Outside of school, Jesse is a sousaphone player in the renowned Purdue “All-American” 
Marching Band, which has allowed him to travel across the globe to perform, exposing him to diverse landscapes, environments, and cultures. Jesse believes that exposure to outside cultures, whether through getting to know your neighbor or traveling the world, is the greatest way to tell someone’s story, ultimately leading to more thoughtful and meaningful design. 

Winner: 2026 Rain Bird Intelligent Use of Water Scholarship

McKenzie Garvin is BLA student at the University of Georgia, who has worked in many research and field work positions, including the National Science Foundation. McKenzie aspires to work in an interdisciplinary role within the field of landscape architecture to advance design literacy and awareness, both within and outside of the profession.

McKenzie aims to acquire a MLA degree with her thesis emphasizing the dichotomy between public and professional understanding of how we interact with public spaces. She continues to be inspired and fascinated by public outreach and education, with her future goal being to one day publish a book or series of children’s books to empower children and the public to understand landscape architecture and sustainability terms to be voices for community collaborative co-design.
 

Winner: 2026 Kenneth R. Brooks MLA Research Scholarship

Shima Goodarzi is a Master of Landscape Architecture student at North Dakota State University, focusing on urban design, ecological systems, and sustainable planning. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Architecture degrees in Tehran, where she developed a strong interest in how built environments shape social interaction, community engagement, and human well-being. Her professional experience includes work on large-scale urban and rural development projects, integrating ecological considerations with social and infrastructural needs. Her current research explores digital twins and performance modeling to enhance social and ecological outcomes in urban landscapes. Shima is passionate about designing resilient, equitable, and environmentally responsible urban spaces. Beyond her academic work, she enjoys exploring new design tools, engaging in community-based projects, and learning about the intersection of culture, ecology, and urban form.

Winner: 2026 MIG Scholarship for the Design of Equitable and Inclusive Environments

Félix Hernández is a Houston, Tx born, PG County, MD Raised citizen ecologist with a paintbrush.  He’s earned a Bachelor’s in Modern Language and Linguistics, Spanish Writing and Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is currently a Masters of Landscape Architecture and Community Planning Candidate at University of Maryland, College Park.  He works for: Nature Sacred, as Data Visualization and Design Consultant; the Purple Line Corridor Coalition as Graduate Assistant; and the Urban Equity Collaborative as Research Assistant.  As of January 2026, he has since been elected President of the Student Planning Association.  Felix has worked as an educator, legislative and policy public health advocate professional, theater and film performance artist for productions in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. His aim is to co-create solutions that will address the expected and unexpected challenges of the Anthropocene.  In his off time, he can be found appreciating nature, at a concert, or at art and science museums.  

Winner: 2026 MIG Scholarship for the Design of Equitable and Inclusive Environments

Aisha Iyengar celebrates the intersection of nature, urban environments, and the human spirit. Pursing her Master's degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University, Aisha dedicates herself to understanding the intricate relationship between humans and their surroundings. Her commitment to preserving and enhancing the environment, while accommodating the needs of a growing urban society, reflects her dedication to sustainable development and the creation of spaces that foster a harmonious coexistence between people and nature.  Aisha actively seeks out life experiences that allow her to conduct research and decipher what drives our innate desire to be alive.
 

Winner: Douglas Dockery Thomas Fellowship in Garden History and Design

Kailey Kruse is an environmental designer and graduate student at Arizona State University focused on sustainable research and design that creates reasonable landscape architecture across public and private contexts. Her design literacy is grounded in a commitment to improving the quality of life for people and the places they inhabit, with particular interest in how landscapes shape both physical and psychological well-being. She currently works with Arizona State on numerous projects, and is a Design and Education Specialist at ASU's Naturespace, where she engages with natural history collections and interpretive environments that foster public learning and ecological connection. Kailey hopes to advance a practice that bridges systems, infrastructure, and art to support more happy and healthy features. 

Winner: Douglas Dockery Thomas Fellowship in Garden History and Design

Lydia Olivier, MSRS, LEED BD+C is a graduate from the Lyle Center of Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona, and is currently pursuing a PhD degree in the department of Anthropology at the University of California, Riverside. Her work integrates cultural landscape studies, garden history, and environmental education. As a former University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) Fellow, she contributed to university climate action planning by foregrounding environmental justice narratives. Oliver is a co-founder of a primary school garden and has written numerous successful grants supporting food access and environmental education through her ten-year board membership with the non-profit Garden School Foundation in Los Angeles. Her research and professional practice focus on gardens and cultural landscapes as designed environments that mediate ecological knowledge, social values, and educational experience. 

Winner: 2026 Courtland Paul Scholarship

Winner: 2026 Council of Fellows Scholarship

Isaiah Ramsey is an undergraduate at Michigan State University School of Planning, Design, and Construction. While on the path to attaining his bachelor's in landscape architecture and Master of Art in Environmental Design, he enjoys implementing sustainable design, therapeutic design, and ecological restoration in the many projects he partakes in school. He has a strong love for sustainable urban development, residential design, and stormwater management. As an active member of MSU’s ASLA Club, he participates by being his classes representative. In his free time, Isaiah, enjoys being active by participating in intermural sports at his school, such as volleyball, gardening with his granddad, traveling and learning about different cultures, volunteering with gardening and plant knowledge around religious establishments and throughout his community while also conversing with other plant lovers on how they appreciate the natural environment.

Winner: 2026 Daniel Zwier/ Permaloc Innovation Scholarship

Taryn is a farmer, learner-teacher and connector. Born and raised on the southside of Chicago, Taryn is committed to connecting Black and Brown people with the land, each other and practices that train present and future generations to survive the unexpected. Taryn began intentionally growing with the land in 2017 by co-founding an agricultural nonprofit with family, friends and neighbors in Chicago’s Englewood community.
 

Taryn gained additional land stewardship experience as a garden educator, farm manager, food justice organizer and program coordinator. In 2022, Taryn co-founded Earthseed Native Landscaping & Edible Gardens LWCA, a worker-owned cooperative that provides native & edible garden services to Greater Chicago. Currently, Taryn is pursuing a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a plan to scale landscape design and stewardship efforts.

Winner: 2026 Council of Fellows Scholarship

Saudiyah (SAW-DEE-yah) Robinson is a 21-year old Landscape Architecture major from Atlanta, GA. She currently attends North Carolina A&T State University and is a dedicated scholar. While Saudiyah continues to grow and evolve, she is finding numerous ways to demonstrate her love for science, the arts and creativity in her major field. She hopes to, one day, work with young people to discover and develop their own hidden talents and create spaces to display and/or allow these gifts to shine which is inspired by her ultimate ambition to design spaces that not only influence but shelter those who need nurturing. In addition to her studies, she enjoys participating in extracurricular group activities with Aggie Sign, a student based organization dedicated to bringing more awareness to American Sign Language. She also enjoys cooking, listening to music, and working on a variety of arts and crafts

Winner: 2026 Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Lindsay Schaudt, FASLA

As a BLA candidate at California Polytechnic State, Joshua aims to tell stories through his work and be a catalyst for change by educating and encouraging current and future generations to build a better tomorrow. With an extensive background in theatre Joshua is no stranger to understanding and communicating stories, and uses them as the foundation for creating story-driven, socially-purposeful, environmentally-resilient, and inclusive landscapes. 

Joshua has a strong desire to connect people with their environment, believing that we have the power to increase visibility of all people, wildlife, and landscapes by understanding and implementing natural processes and local cultures. Joshua’s work is intended to amplify the voices of the stories, histories, and cultures of the landscapes he is transforming. 

Winner: 2026 Council of Fellows Scholarship

Gene is a third year landscape architecture student at Rutgers University with an interest in forestry and education. With a diverse research background being in the field taking tree inventory measurements to annotating oral history archives, he seeks to understand the multidisciplinary nature of landscape architecture. Beyond the classroom, he has a breadth of work experience as a learning assistant, art museum gallery attendant, and gardener, which have given him perspective into working with both people and plants. In his off time, he enjoys being outdoors with friends, birdwatching, printmaking, and breaking. 

Winner: 2026 EDSA Diversity Scholarship

Parker is a landscape architecture student at North Carolina A&T State University, set to graduate in 2025. Parker's work focuses on creating sustainable, nature-integrated urban designs that contribute to community well-being. After graduation, she aims to join a public-focused landscape architecture firm, where she can contribute to projects that foster community. 

Winner: 2026 LandDesign Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Scholarship

David is a third-year landscape architecture student at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and has been passionate about landscape architecture since the eighth grade. He is inspired by the ways landscape architecture positively shapes the natural and built environments, and is fascinated by the field's innovation and ability to create meaningful, sustainable, and functional spaces. Alongside his studies, he works in the UNLV School of Architecture Digital Fabrication Lab where he supports students and faculty with digital workflows and fabrication processes. David plans to pursue graduate studies in landscape architecture and is especially interested in therapeutic landscape design, cohabitation, sustainable urban design, and ecological restoration. 

Winner: 2026 Hawaii Chapter/ David T. Woolsey Scholarship

Dylan is from Honolulu Hawaii, currently getting his BLA with a minor in Geographic Information Systems from California State University at San Luis Obispo. He has an interest in large scale designs for underrepresented communities and connecting community with nature through habitat conservation and restoration. He’s inspired greatly by his home, Hawaii and seeks to utilize indigenous knowledge and techniques to improve his community. After university, Dylan hopes to do work around the world, gaining a global perspective where he eventually hopes to return home and help his community with experience and knowledge gained. Outside of school, Dylan enjoys hiking, travelling the world, drawing, and spending time with friends and family.

Winner: 2026 Council of Fellows Scholarship

Hadasa is a fourth-year landscape architecture student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a strong academic focus and commitment to thoughtful, community centered design. Hadasa's studies emphasize the public realm, adaptive reuse, and the transformation of underutilized or abandoned sites into meaningful landscapes. Hadasa is actively involved in NAMLA, SCASLA, and multiple DEI initiatives within the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, including the Landscape Architecture DEI Committee. She also serves as President of a Christian student organization where she helps to foster community, leadership, and service. Hadasa plans to pursue a career in public sector landscape architecture and has an interest in designing zoo and animal centered environments.