LAF Ignite Awardees

Brendan holds an undergraduate degree in political science, with focuses in philosophy, pre-law, and global studies Before embarking on his graduate studies, Brendan worked as a Crime Policy Analyst at the University of Chicago Urban Labs for nearly three years. During this time, he contributed to projects at the intersection of crime and health policy. Brendan's academic and professional endeavors focus on how design interventions in vacant and blighted lots can positively impact underserved communities. His work integrates the principles of design with the social, cultural, and emotional needs of communities. Brendan envisions establishing his own design studio and think tank to innovate urban design strategies and develop public policy research. Beyond academics and profession, Brendan has a profound interest in various forms of design, including fashion, art, music-making, and film. He is actively working on the "Abolish Slavery" project, highlighting social oppression, racism, and discrimination through visual and sonic
representations.

Since he was young, Johnathan has had an interest in plants. However, a lack of green industry educational resources in school proved to be an obstacle to overcome. Johnathan learned to forge his own path, operating a landscaping business in high school and discovering his passion for design, advocacy, and outreach in the process. He nurtured his passion at Auburn University, where he completed a bachelor’s in Horticulture, Pre-Landscape Architecture. During this time, he served as an Auburn Ag Ambassador and as Vice-President of the Auburn Nursery and Landscape Association. As a rising 3rd-year graduate student at UT Arlington, Johnathan’s commitment to outreach has only increased. As Vice-President of the university’s Student Chapter ASLA, he aspires to implement new ways of engaging fellow students, youth, and the greater public with landscape architecture. He plans to explore and evaluate K-12 landscape architecture resources in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for his master’s thesis.

Kareem is a Washington, D.C. native with an interest in exploring the intersection of mental health and landscape architecture, while seeing how we can save our world with landscape architecture. During his time outside of studios, he enjoys tutoring in various subjects.

Sara Harris is pursuing a Bachelor’s in the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning program at Utah State University with a minor in Ornamental Horticulture. She believes that the Earth is for all people, plants, and animals and that the environments we produce should reflect that. Sara is passionate about combining her love for the natural world with recreation to create accessible and sustainable spaces for all communities to enjoy. She is interested in parks and open spaces, planting and residential design, playgrounds, and general architecture. Her goal is to help others appreciate the planet a little more by combining the beauty of nature with the comforts of indoors and by pairing education with play. When she is not in the studio, you can find Sara admiring wildflowers, swimming in lakes, reading a book in the sun, tending to her vegetable garden, or trying out a new video game.

Jakobi’s passion in landscape architecture stems from her appreciation of nature and the pivotal role that communities serve in shaping our landscapes. Her interests in landscape architecture include urban design, ecological restoration, cultural landscapes, and climate mitigation. She aspires to uplift and transform urban communities by utilizing integrative design approaches that address social and environmental issues while also strengthening natural systems through secure, interactive, and dynamic landscapes.

Ezra wants to use the built environment to promote sustainable and reciprocal relationships between communities and the environment. She also wants to design spaces that could be used for horticulture education and food production for local communities as a harm reduction strategy to address food deserts, while spurring community investment and emphasizing the importance of historic preservation. Ezra hopes to design spaces that uplift the community and contribute to the health and safety of a population and their environment.

Anaya is an undergraduate landscape architecture student with a minor in sustainability. She is passionate about a career in landscape architecture because she would like to be a catalyst for change in the environment as well as in her community as an African American woman. Anaya believes she is beyond capable of making purposeful designs and paying homage to people, places, and events that can be shown through spaces with the right components. She has an interest in green burial and designing more sustainable landscapes. 

She is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc, as well as Lambda Sigma Alpha. Some of her personal interests include taking care of her plants, painting, and traveling.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Kaia graduated from Ohio University in May 2022 with a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Spanish. Her past research discusses the effects of gentrification, displacement, and housing affordability in the downtown district of her hometown. At present, her interests include urban design with an emphasis on environmental and social sustainability, as well as how urban farming shapes city landscapes. In the future, Kaia plans to integrate principles of landscape architecture with just and equitable food growing practices in cities.

In her personal time she enjoys hiking, cooking, and traveling.

Jade is an aspiring urban ecologist, environmental justice advocate, and designer based in O’ahu. Born and raised in Detroit, Jade grew up analyzing the ecologies and cultural fabrics that live in the urban landscape. Her experiences have guided her principles of thinking about how we can reconnect with place, land, and culture, through flora and fauna as a vehicle of healing. She holds bachelors degrees from Hawaii Pacific University in Pacific Island Studies and International Sustainability, Policy & Anthropology. Jade has worn many hats in community land stewardship, organizing and designing community spaces that produce food within the Pacific cultural context. Her mission is to advocate for just and resilient community food systems, integrate indigenous knowledge into the design of urban ecosystems, and inspire Black folks to reconnect with land and the outdoors.

Jaliyah "Penny" Shepherd hails from Chicago, Illinois. She enjoys jamming on the guitar, building Legos, and staying connected to her spirituality. Mental health awareness is also a big deal for Jaliyah, and that's one of the reasons she chose to major in landscape architecture. Nature has a way of soothing the soul, and Jaliyah wants to design spaces that can provide that same sense of peace and healing for others struggling with their mental health. Beyond her academic pursuits, Jaliyah has channeled her design talents into a clothing brand called SARTORIAL PENNY. Looking ahead, she plans to further expand her knowledge and skills by obtaining a master’s in construction management.

Amira is a New Orleans native currently residing in North Carolina to pursue her educational dreams. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. While attending, she was an Undergraduate Research Scholar and a Phi Kappa Phi organization member. While attending North Carolina A&T, her love for nature and spending time outdoors grew as she took time to explore local parks and regional hiking trails. Her appreciation for nature drew her attention to indifferences in green spaces within Greensboro's urban communities, causing her to further examine access discrepancies throughout the United States. Her curiosity allowed her to pursue earning her Master of Landscape Architecture as a first-year student attending North Carolina State University. While here, Amira is investigating ways to mitigate the lack of green space to improve mental and physical health within urban Black and Brown communities.  

Piper is a landscape architect student at Colorado State University. Passionate about a career in landscape architecture, she wants to create spaces that evoke emotions and a sense of closeness. Growing up in Orange County, California she experienced many of these spaces herself and realized how important thoughtful and natural spaces are in shaping the human experience. Her interests include accessibility, water and natural resource management, alternative uses for green spaces, and ecological restoration. Piper was recently elected ASLA Colorado Liaison for her Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and is excited to facilitate this coming year's activities. In her free time, you’ll find her outdoors hiking, rock climbing, or paddle boarding with friends. While indoors you’ll find her testing out new recipes, crocheting, or curled up with a good book.

Zaria holds a BS in Environmental Science and Studies with a concentration in policy and management from Towson University. While she has an interdisciplinary background, her roots are heavily grounded in biology and ecology. Zaria's interests lie in equitable and sustainable development, green infrastructure, and environmental justice. She hopes to use landscape architecture as a tangible means to reshape spaces that have been unjustly stripped from BIPOC communities, rekindling their connection with green spaces. She wants to help mobilize efforts toward community land development without displacement, and advance the goals of zero waste. She is deeply committed to using design as a tool to bring about new urban landscapes in which underserved populations can access the wide variety of goods and spaces from which they have been historically barred.

Originally from Chicago, Naomi's desire to help her community led her to The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where she received a degree in Crop Sciences: Horticultural Food Systems. Studying at UIUC, Naomi's curiosities expanded to design, leading to her graduate studies at RISD. Currently, Naomi is in the process of shifting her work to be more aligned with her interest in psychology and mental health. She aims to push for her designs to incorporate biomimicry and environmental psychology methodology as a baseline when thinking about curating a landscape.

Kareem is an aspiring landscape architect at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Growing up in Northeast Washington, DC, he has experienced firsthand the lack of green spaces and is driven to change this by bringing the issues to city decision-makers and sharing research and statistics about the positive impact that accessible green spaces can have on mental wellness and crime rates. Through landscape architecture, he hopes to address meaningful issues like
mental health and future impacts of climate change in a creative and critical way in the
communities and spaces that need it most.

Outside of the studio, he enjoys spending time with family and tutoring first-time English speakers from various backgrounds.

Ezra wants to use the built environment to promote sustainable and reciprocal relationships between communities and the environment. She also wants to design spaces that could be used for horticulture education and food production for local communities as a harm reduction strategy to address food deserts, while spurring community investment and emphasizing the importance of historic preservation. Ezra hopes to design spaces that uplift the community and contribute to the health and safety of a population and their environment.

Anaya is a 4th-year landscape architecture student with a minor in sustainability. She is passionate about a career in landscape architecture because she would like to be a catalyst for change in the environment, as well as in her community, as an African American woman. Anaya believes she is beyond capable of making purposeful designs and paying homage to people, places, and events that can be shown through spaces with the right components. She has an interest in green burial and designing more sustainable landscapes. 

She is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc, as well as Lambda Sigma Alpha. Some of her personal interests include taking care of her plants, painting, and traveling.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Kaia graduated from Ohio University in May 2022 with a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Spanish. Her past research discusses the effects of gentrification, displacement, and housing affordability in the downtown district of her hometown. At present, her interests include urban design with an emphasis on environmental and social sustainability, as well as how urban farming shapes city landscapes. In the future, Kaia plans to integrate principles of landscape architecture with just and equitable food growing practices in cities.

In her personal time she enjoys hiking, cooking, and traveling.

Shantol developed an interest in drawing and painting at an early age. With a few architectural design studios under her belt, Shantol completed her Associate degree in the arts at Broward Community College in Florida, then moved west to Seattle, Washington, inspired by the prospect of beautiful views and innovative design. Traveling while studying and working in the field is one of her career aspirations. Representation of diverse cultures and designing with the context of how people feel in space and what they bring to a space is an area of focus for her. She is currently pursuing a minor in Anthropology to pursue this relationship.

Jade is an aspiring urban ecologist, environmental justice advocate, and designer based in O’ahu. Born and raised in Detroit, Jade grew up analyzing the ecologies and cultural fabrics that live in the urban landscape. Her experiences have guided her principles of thinking about how we can reconnect with place, land, and culture, through flora and fauna as a vehicle of healing. She holds bachelors degrees from Hawaii Pacific University in Pacific Island Studies and International Sustainability, Policy & Anthropology. Jade has worn many hats in community land stewardship, organizing and designing community spaces that produce food within the Pacific cultural context. Her mission is to advocate for just and resilient community food systems, integrate indigenous knowledge into the design of urban ecosystems, and inspire Black folks to reconnect with land and the outdoors.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Delaware, Charlye is pursuing an MLA with an interest in designing spaces to promote wildlife conservation, green infrastructure, innovative technology, and corporate social responsibility. Charlye hopes to research the dramatic slowdown in human activity caused by the pandemic along with the ways in which humans may better coexist with wildlife on a day-to-day basis. One day, she hopes to have her own apiary.

Zaria holds a BS in Environmental Science and Studies with a concentration in policy and management from Towson University. While she has an interdisciplinary background, her roots are heavily grounded in biology and ecology. Zaria's interests lie in equitable and sustainable development, green infrastructure, and environmental justice. She hopes to use landscape architecture as a tangible means to reshape spaces that have been unjustly stripped from BIPOC communities, rekindling their connection with green spaces. She wants to help mobilize efforts toward community land development without displacement, and advance the goals of zero waste. She is deeply committed to using design as a tool to bring about new urban landscapes in which underserved populations can access the wide variety of goods and spaces from which they have been historically barred.

An African American from the suburbs of Chicago, Brendan is currently enrolled in a dual degree program, pursuing a Masters in Architecture and Landscape Architecture + Urbanism. With a background as a crime policy analyst, he blends his passions for design, urbanism, and public policy. His future goals include establishing his own design studio and think tank to innovate urban design strategies and develop public policy research. 

Beyond academics and career, he has a profound interest in various forms of design, including fashion, art, music-making, and film. He owns a clothing line, Abolish Clothing, and is actively working on the "Abolish Slavery" project. This initiative aims to highlight social oppression, racism, and discrimination through visual and sonic representations, reflecting his commitment to social change and creative expression.

Born in the Baltimore area, Isiah knew from an early age that he wanted to improve his community’s conditions, but he didn’t know how to do it. Through landscape architecture, Isiah realized that designing public parks, sports fields, community gardens, and other spaces can uplift and create bonds within a community. His goals are to create parks and public spaces tailored to the greater community's needs as well as future users of these spaces.

Since he was young, Johnathan has had an interest in plants – he can vividly recall harassing his parents for gardening supplies. This love grew, and after discovering his love for design through operating a landscaping business in high school, he completed a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Pre-Landscape Architecture at Auburn University. During this time, he served as an Auburn Ag Ambassador and as Vice-President of the Auburn Nursery and Landscape Association. As a graduate student, Johnathan is committed to reconnecting individuals with the landscape through designing compelling spaces, primarily through planted form. He is particularly interested in ethnobotany’s effect in minority communities. He hopes to devise methods of reclaiming historically important plants for design proposals as a means of forming novel connections between the past and present.

Jakobi’s passion in landscape architecture stems from her appreciation of nature and the pivotal role that communities serve in shaping our landscapes. Her interests in landscape architecture include urban design, ecological restoration, cultural landscapes, and climate mitigation. She aspires to uplift and transform urban communities by utilizing integrative design approaches that address social and environmental issues while also strengthening natural systems through secure, interactive, and dynamic landscapes.

Carington's journey to landscape architecture began while traveling around the United States with her mother, who was a landscape architect and horticulturist. Throughout Carington's childhood, she was repeatedly exposed to the impact that nature has to offer to the surrounding communities. Inspired by her mother, Carington decided to take her interest in nature further to study how landscape can influence different generations. Her interest in landscape architecture has bloomed and is now focused on designing spaces that connect the communities to the landscape surrounding them. 

Anastasia is a Memphis native who is currently studying ecological design and landscape architecture at the University of Michigan. As a landscape designer, she is interested in increasing biodiversity and interspecies wellbeing in urban environments where Black people live. 

A prolific musician, she has performed with the Asheville Symphony and across the southeast. Through her voice teaching practice Being Vocal Freedom, she coaches people at the intersection of somatics, musicianship, and voice training. She is currently an Alexander Technique teacher-in-training with Sandra Bain Cushman and Corinne Cassini. She is also a host and announcer with Blue Ridge Public Radio. She divides her time between the ceded territory of Cherokee Nation in Asheville, North Carolina and the lands of the Anishinaabeg and the Wyandot in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Amira is a New Orleans native currently residing in North Carolina to pursue her educational dreams. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. While attending, she was an Undergraduate Research Scholar and a Phi Kappa Phi organization member. While attending North Carolina A&T, her love for nature and spending time outdoors grew as she took time to explore local parks and regional hiking trails. Her appreciation for nature drew her attention to indifferences in green spaces within Greensboro's urban communities, causing her to further examine access discrepancies throughout the United States. Her curiosity allowed her to pursue earning her Master of Landscape Architecture as a first-year student attending North Carolina State University. While here, Amira is investigating ways to mitigate the lack of green space to improve mental and physical health within urban Black and Brown communities.  

Originally from Chicago, Naomi's desire to help her community led her to The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where she received a degree in Crop Sciences: Horticultural Food Systems. Studying at UIUC, Naomi's curiosities expanded to design, leading to her graduate studies at RISD. Currently, Naomi is in the process of shifting her work to be more aligned with her interest in psychology and mental health. She aims to push for her designs to incorporate biomimicry and environmental psychology methodology as a baseline when thinking about curating a landscape.

Ezra wants to use the built environment to promote sustainable and reciprocal relationships between communities and the environment. She also wants to design spaces that could be used for horticulture education and food production for local communities as a harm reduction strategy to address food deserts, while spurring community investment and emphasizing the importance of historic preservation. Ezra hopes to design spaces that uplift the community and contribute to the health and safety of a population and their environment.

Shantol developed an interest in drawing and painting at an early age. With a few architectural design studios under her belt, Shantol completed her Associate degree in the arts at Broward Community College in Florida, then moved west to Seattle, Washington, inspired by the prospect of beautiful views and innovative design. Traveling while studying and working in the field is one of her career aspirations. Representation of diverse cultures and designing with the context of how people feel in space and what they bring to a space is an area of focus for her. She is currently pursuing a minor in Anthropology to pursue this relationship.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Delaware, Charlye is pursuing an MLA with an interest in designing spaces to promote wildlife conservation, green infrastructure, innovative technology, and corporate social responsibility. Charlye hopes to research the dramatic slowdown in human activity caused by the pandemic along with the ways in which humans may better coexist with wildlife on a day-to-day basis. One day, she hopes to have her own apiary.

Born in the Baltimore area, Isiah knew from an early age that he wanted to improve his community’s conditions, but he didn’t know how to do it. Through landscape architecture, Isiah realized that designing public parks, sports fields, community gardens, and other spaces can uplift and create bonds within a community. His goals are to create parks and public spaces tailored to the greater community's needs as well as future users of these spaces.

Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Maurice began his career as a carpenter before moving to Chicago to attend the Illinois Institute of Art- Chicago and received a Bachelor of Interior Design. After graduation he worked for 12 senior designers at the Macy’s Interior Design studio. During the great recession he began his career as Energy Auditor/ Quality Control Inspector. Maurice A. Gaston assessed 1200+ low-income homes and Final Inspected 500+ low-income homes. 2015 He founded Mainstream Architectural Group LLC a green construction company which is currently performing energy audits for the department of energy weatherization program. Since founding his company he has studied solar panel design and became a home inspector. He is now a student in the Masters of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanism Dual Program at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  After graduation, he plans to expand Mainstream Architectural Group LLC as a full-time firm specializing in green energy, sustainability, landscape ecology, and preservation to revitalization communities.

Kareem is a Washington, D.C. native with an interest in exploring the intersection of mental health and landscape architecture, while seeing how we can save our world with landscape architecture. During his time outside of studios, he enjoys tutoring in various subjects.

Carington's journey to landscape architecture began while traveling around the United States with her mother, who was a landscape architect and horticulturist. Throughout Carington's childhood, she was repeatedly exposed to the impact that nature has to offer to the surrounding communities. Inspired by her mother, Carington decided to take her interest in nature further to study how landscape can influence different generations. Her interest in landscape architecture has bloomed and is now focused on designing spaces that connect the communities to the landscape surrounding them. 

Amira is a New Orleans native currently residing in North Carolina to pursue her educational dreams. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. While attending, she was an Undergraduate Research Scholar and a Phi Kappa Phi organization member. While attending North Carolina A&T, her love for nature and spending time outdoors grew as she took time to explore local parks and regional hiking trails. Her appreciation for nature drew her attention to indifferences in green spaces within Greensboro's urban communities, causing her to further examine access discrepancies throughout the United States. Her curiosity allowed her to pursue earning her Master of Landscape Architecture as a first-year student attending North Carolina State University. While here, Amira is investigating ways to mitigate the lack of green space to improve mental and physical health within urban Black and Brown communities.