2023
Columbia University
Mateo Alexander
Thank you to the APA Foundation for supporting me in my first year as an MSUP student at Columbia University. Following graduation, I will become a college professor and research center PI, actively co-producing with communities for beneficial technological research and development. As a trailblazer, my legacy will be a racially, economically, and technologically just future. This scholarship will ease the financial stress of living in NYC, allowing me to focus on my academic interests in smart cities, urban futures and megatrends, behavioral economics and ontological design, new city and town international development, and underrepresented populations.
University of Florida
Angie Castrillon
I am incredibly grateful and honored to receive a 2023 American Planning Association Foundation Diversity Scholarship. As the daughter of immigrants and a Hispanic/Latinx woman, I deeply appreciate the APA's commitment to promoting diverse, inclusive, and livable communities. With your generous support, I will be able to complete my Master's Research Project and finish the final phase of my degree. This scholarship will play a pivotal role in allowing me to pursue a career dedicated to creating communities that prioritize environmental justice, sustainable economic development, social equity, and inclusion.
Harvard University
Aanchal Chopra
My ambition is to design cities that facilitate more equitable participation in meaningful work, enable shared prosperity, and serve an increasingly flexible and evolving workforce. With the support of this scholarship, I hope to investigate the urban drivers of inequity at work and better understand how planners, policymakers, and employers can collaborate to design urban infrastructure to address these inequities.
University of Georgia
Ashley Daniel
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous scholarship. The American Planning Association's investment in my education is more than just a financial contribution — it's a vote of confidence in my potential and a catalyst for my future success. With your assistance, I am provided with an easier route to achieving my goal of cultivating a profound understanding of the complex relationships between urban environments, social dynamics, art, and sustainable development. Thank you so much.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Samuel Hayes
I am a second-year master's student in the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC-Chapel Hill where I focus my research on issues at the intersection of affordable housing and historic preservation. My role as the Chair of the Board of Directors at Upstate Preservation Trust, a historic preservation nonprofit in SC, has honed my leadership and practical skills in preserving our cultural heritage. This experience, coupled with my research, empowers me to seek innovative solutions that harmonize urban development with preservation. Thank you to the APA Foundation and the generous donors who made this scholarship possible.
University of California, Berkeley
Lekshmy Hirandas
I am deeply grateful for the generosity of the foundation as this scholarship helps me to complete my planning education at the University of California, Berkeley. As a budding planner, I aim to be a global advocate for equitable access, ensuring it transcends barriers of age and ability. This invaluable recognition from the APA Foundation will empower me to delve deeper into the intricacies of planning, acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to create sustainable, inclusive solutions for our communities. It fuels my passion to address the pressing issues of mobility inequality and urban accessibility, ultimately striving for a world where everyone can thrive, regardless of their circumstances. Your support not only assists me in achieving my educational goals but also strengthens my commitment to making a meaningful impact on the planning landscape. I am truly honored to be a recipient of this scholarship and look forward to the journey ahead.
Michigan State University
Escarleth Cucurachi Ortega
As a recipient of the APA Foundation Diversity Scholarship, I wanted to express my appreciation for helping to alleviate the financial burden of my college education. Originating from a close-knit Mexican family, my architectural background kindled a passion for urbanism, propelling my pursuit of a Master's in Urban and Regional. MSU has offered a remarkable experience, emphasizing inclusivity and equity. Currently, I'm involved in an Urban Laboratory initiative in Veracruz, empowering locals with essential knowledge. Future plans encompass gaining experience in international urban consulting and founding an Urban Planning firm to advocate for marginalized groups. My heartfelt thanks to the APA Foundation for supporting my educational endeavor, a beacon of hope for all aspiring planners.
Cornell University
Aditi Parihar
Born and raised in a small town glancing at the ill-structured land use map, I knew only knowledge could give me the power to change the existing circumstances; this was my driving force to pursue a program in city and regional planning. The moment has arrived to connect my goals with my values. I aim to turn my interest and curiosity into innovative and spontaneous solutions. With this APA Foundation Diversity Scholarship, I look forward to contributing with the same zest and spirit towards women, people of color, and those in financial need. I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your support! Thank you!
Columbia University
Rachel Peng
Thank you for selecting me as a recipient of the 2023 APA Foundation Diversity Scholarship. I feel incredibly grateful and honored for your support in the pursuit of my degree in urban planning, and ultimately planning career. As I continue the final years of my degree and deepen my knowledge in the field, I hope to champion diversity through my thesis by showcasing the subtleties of race in data and aim to continue to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change in my community, particularly to those outside of the industry.
University of Washington
Saira Shahid
I am honored to accept the APA Diversity Scholarship made possible by your generous donation. Thanks to your support, I can continue my education in urban planning and pursue my goal of being an urban planning practitioner working to make communities safe, sustainable, and equitable. I hope to use my intersectional knowledge, background, and experiences to champion diversity in the planning field and develop equitable solutions for the present and future.
Ball State University
Danielle Sipp
I truthfully and wholeheartedly want to thank the APA Foundation for this award and experience. As a student and future planner I've spent years of my adolescence and teenhood advocating for more equitable and just urban development practices and with the support of the APA Foundation, I hope to bring this with me into my professional career. Thank you again for this opportunity.
Harvard University
Briana Villaverde
This scholarship is instrumental in helping me further my studies and commitment to equitable urban planning. After graduation, I hope to return to Los Angeles and actively implement impactful planning strategies that uplift the Latine diaspora while promoting radical forms of care and justice specifically prioritizing communities who are working to address climate and environmental injustices. A better world is possible, let's plan it!
Harvard University
Maggie Weese
I want to sincerely thank the APA Foundation for its generosity in awarding me this scholarship. This funding will support my final year of a dual master's in urban planning and public health at Harvard University. While at Harvard, my work focused on participatory planning, healthy built environments, and affordable housing. After I graduate, I hope to work for a city planning department or a nonprofit developer to further access to healthy, high-quality, affordable housing in the Boston area. Thank you again!
2021
University of Michigan
Anthony Bui
Thanks to your generosity, I am one step closer to making our urban areas accessible for all. Transportation policy tends to promote unwelcoming streets solely for the benefit of drivers, but it can also be used as a remedy to encourage a street for all users. Thus, I will promote and protect public transportation to bridge our communities, connect all types of people with opportunities, and stimulate economic potential in the urban environment.
Columbia University
Will Cao
The necessity for a collective mission towards confronting health and climate disasters could not have been more apparent over the past year, as well as the role of planners to encourage and mitigate outcomes. With the generous support from this scholarship, I can continue my education towards the goal of responsibly building greater resilience and climate justice for communities that have been underrepresented in the processes of planning and developing the built environment.
Tufts University
Kameice Francis
Thank you to all who made this possible. This scholarship has made a world of difference for me. The opportunities offered by the APA Foundation Scholarship will undoubtedly ensure that I have the > financial resources to finish my Master's in Environmental Policy and Planning. After graduation, I aspire to return to my home country, Jamaica, to develop effective national climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Once again, thank you.
The University of Texas at Arlington
Qian He
My career goal is to become a research-driven planner and educator. Through my research, teaching, and service, I am committed to creating an equitable environment for people and communities from all backgrounds. The APA Foundation scholarship will help me finish my doctoral degree. This scholarship will allow me to share my research and cultivate professional planning networks at national and international level. The reclevelsion of the APA Foundation Scholarship will be a tremendous encouragement as I work to achieve my goal of advancing equity in urban planning.
University of Minnesota
Fatha Sharif
I am beyond grateful and excited at the opportunity to have received a 2021 American Planning Association Foundation Scholarship. I have begun my studies at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs as part of the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program, and hope to complete a concentration in housing and community development. I aspire to lead a planning career in the public sector that centers and empowers communities that have historically experienced marginalization, a lack of representation, and access to influence decisions made regarding their neighborhoods and homes.
2020
Harvard University
Andriani Atmadja
Your generosity helps me to further my mission of enhancing climate resilience planning for vulnerable communities that seek social justice and equity in their practice. As a woman in the future planning profession, I am also hoping to generate strategies to ensure equitable collaboration through the empowerment of women, children, the elderly, and underrepresented communities to actively participate in the planning process.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Shekhar Chandra
I was born in a remote village in north India of mostly below-poverty-line households with a low literacy rate and where the majority of households depend on farming activities for their livelihoods. The experiences of my youth inculcated a genuine passion for acquiring scientific knowledge and a deep desire to influence the policymaking process so that I could someday make a difference for those who were less fortunate than me.
Harvard University
Cecley Hill
We are in a critical moment where the demand for Urban Planners has become increasingly evident across a variety of landscapes and in a myriad of roles. As a second-year graduate student preparing to transition into this field professionally, I look forward to building on my personal knowledge and educational experiences to create more equitable cities internationally, and to help meet this demand.
Rutgers University
Amal Muse
Thanks to your generous support I am the first in my family to attend graduate school. Growing up in a less privileged community has not only offered financial and academic challenges but has also helped me realize the value of a higher education. My plans at this stage are to complete my Masters in City and Regional Planning and concentrate on environmental policy.
Harvard University
Whytne Stevens
Receiving this scholarship allows me to continue my studies at Harvard and look more deeply into subjects within urban planning such as people-centered urban design, participatory planning, community development, community building, finding the intersection of art and urban planning, and social equity-based approaches to urban planning.
Rutgers University
Marius Williams
As a City and Regional Planning student, I plan to concentrate on international design and development. I believe that the practice of both local and international planning and design can reveal and spread innovative best-planning practices across regions and cultures.
2019
University of California, Berkeley
Priscila Coli
Priscila Coli is a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley's City and Regional Planning PhD program. Coli spent six years working as an urban planner in Rio de Janeiro and focused on sustainability, zoning parameters for affordable housing, and redressing disparities in urban infrastructure. She hopes to contribute to the development of urban policies and legislation that could regulate new actors while also empowering residents from the peripheries, facilitating and strengthening equitable civic participation.
Tufts University
Alexandra Duprey
Alexandra Duprey is a graduate student in Tufts University's Master's in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning program. She plans to build upon her experience as an intern for a sustainable development nongovernmental organization (NGO) in India, and as a transportation planner in Florida observing the disparity between the people proposing development plans and the people being affected by the plans, to champion diversity and social and environmental justice in the planning profession.
University of Colorado, Denver
Valeria Henao Cano
Valeria Henao Cano is a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Denver Master's of Urban and Regional Planning program. She has worked as an architect in Colombia and has experience developing projects that improve the quality of life in marginalized communities. As a planner, she plans to work on improving informal areas that serve marginalized populations.
University of Pennsylvania
Claire Jaffe
Claire Jaffe is a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania Master's of City Planning program. She is working on bicycle and pedestrian planning and is interested in how multimodal networks create safer spaces. Jaffe has organized spaces for women and LGBTQ folks who are in the planning field or interested in urban planning issues to come together, network, and build connections.
Harvard University
Laier-Rayshon Smith
Laier-Rayshon Smith is a graduate student at the Harvard University Master's of Urban Planning program. Smith's vision for equitable communities includes working at the intersections of social interaction, policy, design, and the decision-making processes that formulate the built environment. Living in Pittsburgh and working at non-profit organizations in the city helped to shape this vision.