Scholarship Recipients

Winner: 2026 Landscape Forms Shane Coen Scholarship for Diversity in Design

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 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. 

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 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 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.