Accessibility for All: Irene Pineda ’22 MLA

Eight Questions with Master of Landscape Architecture Student Irene Pineda ’22 MLA

“My goal is to make beautiful landscape architectural designs accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status. Within this context I am passionate about designing places and spaces that are not only healing and aesthetically pleasing but that also advance solutions to the global climate crisis."

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Master of Landscape Architecture student Irene Pineda is from La Puente, California, located 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. She earned her BA in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University and served as a public school teacher before falling in love with the Sonoran Desert and joining the MLA program.

What brought you to the University of Arizona to study landscape architecture?

With an undergraduate degree in communicative disorders, I was originally interested in becoming a speech therapist. But I wasn’t ready yet for the master’s degree the profession required, so I joined the workforce and jumped into the education sector, which appeared to be aligned with speech therapy (working with school children). After receiving emergency certification, I served several long-term substitute teacher assignments. Eventually, however, I realized that teaching was not for me. I enjoyed the students but it wasn’t the career path I wanted.

In exploring graduate degrees, I learned about the MLA, and took a trip with my partner to meet with an advisor at CAPLA. This was my first time traveling to Tucson, and I immediately fell in love with the Sonoran Desert. It has an enriching plant palette resilient to drastic changes and I knew it was the landscape I wanted to study. During my trip I met Professor of Landscape Architecture Margaret Livingston, to whom I owe deep gratitude in growing my plant knowledge, as she was a key player in helping me make the decision to change careers and pursue landscape architecture.

What focus of landscape architecture particularly interests you?

I am interested in working alongside communities of color, in designing areas of healing. Growing up in a dense city, we didn’t have areas of greenery; lots of concrete and buildings conquered my childhood streets. As I aged, I noticed the disproportion of access to nature to people who looked like me. My goal is to make beautiful landscape architectural designs accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status. Within this context I am passionate about designing places and spaces that are not only healing and aesthetically pleasing but that also advance solutions to the global climate crisis.
 

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What do you like best about the CAPLA and the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning?

CAPLA creates abundant opportunities for success. Speaking on behalf of the Master of Landscape Architecture program, our director aims to help students who are seeking financial support. CAPLA strives to make education affordable. Upon entering my first year, for example, I was offered a graduate scholarship. Knowing the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning was going to make an investment in my studies, it was obvious to me they cared about my decision to further my education.

What have been your biggest challenges at CAPLA and UArizona, and how have you overcome those challenges?

The biggest challenge has been working virtually due to the pandemic, as this program requires a lot of collaboration. My cohort has been core to my learning experience—even more so during COVID times. We have found ways to navigate around the absence of each other in studio, by communicating effectively through Zoom, using other apps such as the Conceptboard collaborative online studio space and setting deadlines for one another. We truly push each other to be better designers.

Finding balance in my mental and physical health has also been a challenge. I absolutely enjoy going to school and work. The problem is saying no, knowing that I already have a full schedule of responsibilities. I often find myself working every hour of the day and though it feels like a rush of excitement, I don’t get to spend the same amount of time on myself. I am working on that now—setting a schedule, going for a quick jog in the mornings, timers on projects and turning down projects I know I don’t have time for.
 

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What does the CAPLA experience mean for you?

Building a changing world, as it stands true to CAPLA’s vision. CAPLA values the importance of the Sonoran Desert and provides tools to their students to be successful in designing a sustainable future.

Beyond your academic studies, what are your hobbies?

I’m not sure if this is considered a hobby, but I do like to think I am a plant vlogger. I constantly snap photos, shoot videos and talk about my plants on social media. My plants are everything!

I am also the co-president of the UArizona student chapter of ASLA, the American Society of Landscape Architects. So, when I am not in class or working, I am most likely organizing another event with fellow co-president Kendra Potter for our students.
 

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Tell us about your current graduate assistantship.

I am currently a graduate assistant (GA) at the University of Arizona’s Pima County Cooperative Extension Smartscape office. I coordinate outreach and marketing of Smartscape’s landscape water conservation education programming, and I am the class facilitator. In addition, I am working with CAPLA Assistant Research Scientist Adriana Zuniga on design plans for an urban park for Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

What advice do you have for prospective MLA students?

Si se puede: yes you can! You have the power to take a path of any direction. Invest in yourself and seek opportunities of personal growth. Get involved, ask questions, take chances, break those barriers, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise and do what makes you happy… because you can!
 

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