CAPLA students come from a rich diversity of backgrounds and experiences.
View profiles of a few of our students, including undergraduate architecture, landscape architecture and sustainable built environments students and graduate architecture, landscape architecture, real estate development and urban planning students:
A Passion for Real Estate Finance: Xiaoqin (Heather) Shi ' 20 MRED
Heather Shi entered CAPLA's on-campus Master of Real Estate Development program in Fall 2019 after earning her undergraduate degree in computer science and technology in China. Here, she's found real estate development finance to be particularly fascinating.
Coverdell Fellow Profile: Dionna Hatch '20 MLA
Dionna Hatch served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala before joining CAPLA's Master of Landscape Architecture program.
Transforming Urban Access to Natural Areas: Mario Nuño-Whelan '20 MLA
Mario Nuño-Whelan served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru before joining CAPLA's Master of Landscape Architecture program.
Coverdell Fellow Profile: Sean Maccabe '21 MLA
Sean Maccabe served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia before joining CAPLA's Master of Landscape Architecture program.
Rooted in the Spirit of Place: Jenny Nguyen ’20 B.Arch
Jenny Nguyen, a fifth-year architecture student whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam before she was born, shares her experience as a CAPLA student, with a particular focus on how heritage, family and work ethic play a role in academic excellence, even in this time of pandemic.
Coverdell Fellow Profile: Ramzy Bejjani '21 MLA
Ramzy Bejjani served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northern Ethiopia before joining CAPLA's Master of Landscape Architecture program.
Curiosity Becomes Passion: Brooke Sands ’22 B.Arch
Chicago native Brooke Sands, now halfway through the five-year CAPLA undergraduate architecture program, offers insight into the challenges and passions of studying architecture.
Coverdell Fellow Profile: Rebecca Johnstone '20 MLA
Rebecca Johnstone served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia before joining CAPLA's Master of Landscape Architecture program.
Making Public Spaces Matter: Ariel Fry ’20 MS Urban Planning
Ariel Fry ’20 MS Urban Planning recalls walking in downtown Tucson one day seven years ago, thinking about how unfriendly the landscape was. Not the Sonoran Desert landscape—being from the small town of Ajo, Arizona, she was familiar with the rugged and beautiful desert.
Community-Driven: Lena Porell '20 MS Urban Planning
Lena Porell served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia before joining CAPLA's Master of Urban Planning program.
Opening Doors to a Bright Future: Juliana Seymour ’20 B.Arch
Juliana Seymour '20 B.Arch landed her internship at Swaim Associates thanks to the CAPLA Job Interview Fair.
Coverdell Fellow Profile: Hunter Lohse '22 MLA
Hunter Lohse served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines before joining CAPLA's Master of Landscape Architecture program.