CAPLA Study Abroad: Arden Cherry, BLA ‘25
6 Questions with Arden Cherry, BLA '25
“I think that participating in a study abroad program is something everyone should have the opportunity to do, because it is completely unlike learning in a classroom. I would highly recommend an experience like this to any student.”
Arden Cherry is a senior in the Landscape Architecture Program at CAPLA and is minoring in studio art with an emphasis in oil painting. She traveled with CAPLA to Paris last summer as part of a 2024 CAPLA Study Abroad program led by Acting Associate Dean of Student Affairs Beth Weinstein, and left with new friends and a new understanding of the world around her.
What brought you to the University of Arizona?
Having grown up in Arizona, many of my family members studied at the U of A before I came here. The UA community is so tight knit and spirited, something I’ve felt really grateful for these past four years. CAPLA especially has such a great collaborative atmosphere, and the studio cohort dynamic allows people to get the chance to really become close with their peers throughout college. I had also heard really great things about the landscape architecture program here prior to committing to the U of A. Learning about such a unique field of study in a very distinctive landscape like the Sonoran Desert has prepared me for working in so many different climates.
If you have a particular focus or interest area in your degree, what is it and what excites you most about it?
Between my second and third year at CAPLA, I had a job working in the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Conservation Corps in Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. I was doing trail work and various conservation projects. This gave me hands-on experience and a more in-depth understanding of ecological design, which are elements I believe are vital for a deeper connection to the design aspect of landscape architecture.
Since then, landscape ecology, sustainability and community-based agricultural design have all been much greater parts of my design processes.
What internships or other working experiences have you had, and what are your career aspirations?
My second year at CAPLA, I worked with Vanessa Buzzard on the Campus Living Lab Green Infrastructure project to install data collectors, design signage for water harvesting education and build basins on the campus. I have also worked with Kirk Dimond on the ENR2 Building Photovoltaics Green Roof project, collecting data on plant growth, project performance and weather calculations. Both of these projects gave me independent research experience and connected me to knowledgeable and extremely supportive individuals on campus.
Now, in my senior year, I serve as a student worker at Tucson Village Farm, where I facilitate farm field trips for elementary students, work the weekly farmers market, aid with the high ropes course events and lend a hand with farm work. Being a part of Tucson Village Farm has been an irreplaceable experience for me, as the people there are so deeply knowledgeable about the land and how to use the resources from it.
Can you give an overview of your study abroad experience? Where did you go? When did you go? What classes did you take?
I participated in the CAPLA Study Abroad Program in Paris this past summer. This was a wonderful journey with 10 other CAPLA students, in which we stayed at the Cité Universitaire in the 14th arrondissement of Paris from the end of May to late June. This month-long trip consisted of overnight excursions to Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon, as well as visits to many museums, art galleries, architectural landmarks, gardens, and historical buildings. Getting acquainted with a new city in a small group brings people together, and I got to meet some incredible students through this experience. Paris was unreal in its beauty, and through our two classes we were encouraged to unearth the complicated history of colonialism behind France and its larger cities.
How do you see study abroad adding to your overall academic experience?
It definitely benefited me to work so closely with architecture students during that time, because I learned to see a new city through their perspective. Being in landscape architecture, I surprisingly didn’t encounter or work alongside a lot of architecture students until my junior year. Being in a group abroad that consisted of SBE, BA, MA and BLA students was so immersive and rewarding because we all had different things to bring to discussions and reflections.
What advice do you have for students interested in CAPLA Study Abroad?
Time management is so important for students in any field, but with as many simultaneous projects, presentations, reviews and revisions that architecture and landscape architecture students have to do, it’s even more crucial here at CAPLA. Especially when it comes to group projects, having a plan and staying on top of the workload throughout the process really determines your mental health and performance throughout the degree. Burnout is so real, and avoiding it by managing academic and social life at the same time is a difficult but critical balance to find.
