LAE student wins national scholarship

April 03, 2012
Viviana Castro, a junior in the Department of Landscape Architecture, has been selected as one of two ASLA Council of Fellows Scholarship recipients for 2012.

Castro first came to appreciate the importance of landscape architecture, particularly stormwater management, working summers in the poor, often-flooded hillside communities south of Bogata, Colombia, her native city. Recognized for her organizational and illustrative talents and inquisitive nature, Castro aspires to demonstrate by example that the profession is wide open to Latin American women.

As a community volunteer, Castro shares her love of the profession and teaches others of the landscape architect’s value in strengthening cultural identity. She mentors minority high school students and encourages their interest in landscape architecture as a profession of choice.

Castro will receive her scholarship certificate at the ASLA annual meeting on Oct. 1 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The ASLA Council of Fellows established this scholarship fund in 2004 to aid outstanding students in financial need, increase the participation in landscape architecture of economically disadvantaged and underrepresented populations, and enrich the profession through increased diversity. In addition to the scholarships, Castro will also receive a one-year student ASLA membership, general registration fee for the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO, and a travel stipend to attend the meeting.