Najla Said Lopez (left image), recipient of the 15th annual Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Schaudt, FASLA, is a fourth-year landscape architecture student at the University of Florida with varied interests and a diverse professional background brought together by a passion for helping those in need. "I enjoy how landscape architecture combines science, nature and art," Najla describes. "I think it's a very powerful field-after immigrating to Miami from Jordan, I've worked in a refugee resettlement agency and a children's mental health crisis unit, and I've come to realize that in whatever line of work I'm doing, I want to be helping people. In landscape architecture, I'm inspired by the way that a connection to and love for nature is universal. And in improving sustainability, equity-based design, and advocating for equitable access to green spaces, I think we can serve underprivileged communities in really important ways." Najla has demonstrated immense compassion and extraordinary aptitude, and we're so proud to welcome her to our industry.

Victor Cizik (middle image), co-recipient of this year's Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship, is a third-year landscape architecture student at the University of Connecticut who seeks a future for streetscapes and urban design that is more sustainable, more pedestrian friendly, and filled with the beauty of nature. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved being outside in nature. I knew that in my studies and in my career, I would be involved with nature in some way, but initially I just wasn't sure how," Victor recalls. "But in landscape architecture, I found a way to share this passion and provide opportunities especially for low-income communities to experience the inspiration and beauty that I find outside. I have a preference for naturalistic landscape design-solutions that accentuate the existing forms and patterns found in nature-and my goal is to introduce better ways to express these ideas in the urban streetscape." Victor's passion for the natural world truly resonates with our mission, and we're excited to see him thrive in our industry.

Adriel Jimenez (right image), co-recipient of this year's Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship, is a landscape architecture student at the University of Florida inspired by regenerative landscape design utilizing 3D modeling programs, data from GIS, CAD, and site-specific local research. "I'm inspired by the idea of using local context to inform landscape design-combining an area's cultural heritage and natural features and expressing this in the landscape," says Adriel. "For my capstone, I'm interested in the idea of replanting mangroves on the Florida coast as a way of using native, natural solutions to combat the catastrophes of climate change. As a society, we've disconnected from our roots and our attachment to nature, so I think rebuilding these connections is a crucial step in solving the problems we currently face." Adriel's passion for learning about cultures and ecosystems will make him an incredible asset in our field.

The Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Lindsay Schaudt celebrates the 30-year career of a leader and visionary in landscape architecture. Peter was one of the founding principals of the award-winning firm, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architecture in Chicago, Illinois and a dedicated member of the Board of Directors for Landscape Forms. He was widely admired for his incredible talent, dedication, generosity, and integrity – and passion for the “art of design.” This scholarship is open to landscape architecture students in their final two years of full-time undergraduate study in a LAAB- or LAAC-accredited program in the U.S. or Canada and is awarded on the basis of academic accomplishment and creative design ability. Applicants must demonstrate passion, commitment, and competence in creating artfully-designed places for people. Recent winners of this scholarship include Guadalupe Rodriguez from Cal Poly Pomona in 2019, Claire Jarvis from the University of Georgia in 2020, and Jordan Chiang from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2021.

Celebrating its inaugural year in 2021,Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship reflects our aim to help create a society where social justice and racial diversity are the norm. We believe the best workplaces embrace individuality where any person can feel a strong sense of belonging—we aspire to that reality for our own workplace, and we are committed to help spread this mindset across the whole of landscape architecture professions. This scholarship was established as a small but meaningful step toward achieving that vision of a just and diverse community in our industry, helping Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students advance in their education and career in landscape architecture. The Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship is open to undergraduate landscape architecture students who identify as BIPOC and are currently enrolled in a LAAB- or LAAC-accredited program in the US or Canada. Candidates must demonstrate financial need, academic aptitude, and commitment to the discipline of landscape architecture.

Learn more about Landscape Forms’ scholarships and others available through the Landscape Architecture Foundation.