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 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: 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 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.