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Where are you from?  

Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?  

I moved to Denver in 2020 and gardened through the pandemic, teaching myself about permaculture and botany through books and blogs. I moved from gardening at home to working in landscape maintenance, which is when I began to think about going to school for landscape architecture and eventually enrolled in the ENVD program.  

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in landscape architecture? How/when did you know?  

I was 99% sure, but I kept my options open as far as my major is concerned because I really enjoy product design and urban planning as well. I knew that I preferred landscape architecture after taking our first 16-week studio and understanding how I can incorporate elements of product design and urban planning into my landscape designs.  

Do you have a favorite project that you're currently working on/have worked on in the past? 

I’m currently working on a design for Writer Square in Denver with an emphasis on language-less way finding. It’s my favorite so far because there are so many social and ecological factors to consider that it feels like I’m putting together a giant puzzle! Additionally, I really enjoy any project that involves using a laser cutter. I’m not an especially crafty person, so using the laser cutter to model my designs allows me to be much more precise and create professional looking models which is a very satisfying feeling.  

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?  

I don’t have to be extroverted or neurotypical to engage with my community in meaningful ways. I’ve also found that the way I view my relationship with the planet has changed - I now feel much more like part of a larger system than one individual organism. 

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?  

After graduating, I’d like to explore potential roles that bio-design and robotics can play when placed in our urban landscapes. I do see a future career for myself involving a combination of design and research, but I also prefer to go where the wind takes me, so we’ll see what happens! 

What tips or advice would you give to future design students? 

Destroy your ego, don’t compare yourself to others, and build your network. Also, don’t be afraid to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing.