{"id":10827,"date":"2025-08-29T02:45:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T06:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/?p=10827"},"modified":"2025-09-04T21:23:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T01:23:10","slug":"finding-a-place-in-landscape-architecture-how-mla-student-veronica-cancio-found-her-passion-for-shaping-resilient-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/finding-a-place-in-landscape-architecture-how-mla-student-veronica-cancio-found-her-passion-for-shaping-resilient-landscapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding a Place in Landscape Architecture: How MLA Student Veronica Cancio Found Her Passion for Shaping Resilient Landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Finding a Place in Landscape Architecture: How MLA Student Veronica Cancio Found Her Passion for Shaping Resilient Landscapes<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Landscape architecture wasn\u2019t on Veronica Cancio\u2019s radar when she started working as a research assistant and project coordinator for the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA)<\/a>. The nonprofit, which is dedicated to the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems, originally took her on as an intern after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Central Florida in 2021. She eventually worked full-time at the nonprofit for two years, leading various projects focused on coastal resilience, buffered shorelines, and water pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started out in the medical field before moving to biology, and really became interested in marine biology after getting my scuba certification,\u201d said Cancio. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t see these ecosystems under the water and so they don\u2019t think about protecting them. I ended up interning with ORCA, then working full-time as a research assistant figuring out how to protect these fragile underwater ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now entering her second year of the Master’s in Landscape Architecture<\/a> program, Cancio’s path to the present day really began when she led ORCA’s “Land to Sea” initiative, a project focused on building buffered and living shorelines for coastal communities using native Florida plants and vegetation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt one point during the project, we were working with five homeowners on a large stretch of shoreline, and due to the large scope, we had to bring in Meg Whitmer, a landscape architect,\u201d said Cancio. \u201cAt the time, I didn\u2019t know anything about the field, but because she was remote, I did all of the hands-on implementation, so I learned fast. She saw my interest and decided to be a mentor to me, and that\u2019s how I started learning about landscape architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Veronica Cancio (left) worked with ORCA as a research assistant and project coordinator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cancio soon became fascinated with all the different ways she could have an impact through the field, from improving the health of waterways to creating sustainable and functional public spaces. Eager to explore this path further, she reached out to Dr. Jules Bruck<\/a>, director of the UF School of Landscape Architecture and Planning<\/a>, who was impressed with her research background in coastal restoration and resilience. After joining the department, Veronica found several ways to expand her knowledge base with research opportunities under the guidance of Dr. Bruck and Professor Michael Volk<\/a>, Associate Director for the UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVeronica approaches design with a strong, process-oriented perspective,\u201d said Dr. Bruck. \u201cHer training in the scientific method makes our conversations about design both clear and productive, and she is leveraging that background to conduct innovative research on coastal community engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With guidance from Dr. Bruck, Cancio\u2019s research explores the use of buffered and living shorelines, emphasizing the role of community participation in the design process. This ensures local perspectives are reflected while also fostering broader awareness of sustainable, nature-based infrastructure solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n

Cancio and her team work to install native Florida plants along shoreline properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, which is at the forefront of land use sustainability efforts throughout the state, Cancio conducts research on green infrastructure and stormwater management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVeronica has been a significant asset to the Center this past year,\u201d said Professor Volk. \u201cThrough her work she has expanded the Center\u2019s work on green stormwater infrastructure and partnerships with other centers, including the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies<\/a>, with research focused on the role of green infrastructure in resilient affordable housing\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond her coursework and academic research, Cancio also part of the UF Landscape Sustainability Collective, a group that brings together landscape architecture students to work on sustainability-focused projects. The group recently worked on creating a buffered shoreline<\/a> in Sebastian, Florida, where students led an effort to mitigate harmful runoff and boost shoreline defenses using native plants that increase biodiversity. The project was a partnership between the Sustainability Collective, the City of Sebastian, and ORCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, Cancio and her fellow students were honored for their efforts at the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Florida<\/a> Annual Conference, where they received awards for their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing recognized by ASLA for this project was truly an honor,\u201d said Cancio. \u201cHaving the chance to work with ORCA again, but this time as a landscape architecture student, felt like a full-circle moment for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about our academic programs.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finding a Place in Landscape Architecture: How MLA Student Veronica Cancio Found Her Passion for Shaping Resilient Landscapes Landscape architecture wasn\u2019t on Veronica Cancio\u2019s radar when she started working as a research assistant and project coordinator for the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA). The nonprofit, which is dedicated to the protection and restoration of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":223,"featured_media":10833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"wds_primary_category":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/08\/IMG_2402-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/08\/IMG_2402-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/08\/IMG_2402-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/08\/IMG_2402-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/08\/IMG_2402-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/08\/IMG_2402-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2025\/08\/IMG_2402-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"ryanhelterhoffurp","author_link":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/author\/ryanhelterhoffurp\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Finding a Place in Landscape Architecture: How MLA Student Veronica Cancio Found Her Passion for Shaping Resilient Landscapes Landscape architecture wasn\u2019t on Veronica Cancio\u2019s radar when she started working as a research assistant and project coordinator for the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA). The nonprofit, which is dedicated to the protection and restoration of…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/223"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcp.ufl.edu\/landscape\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}