by Center for Architecture
We’re thrilled to share that this year, the Center for Architecture in partnership with AIA New York has awarded $66,000 in academic scholarships to 16 students via their Grants and Scholarships Program, a platform to make architecture education accessible to all and diversify research in architecture while connecting students and emerging professionals to AIANY members and programs. In recent years, the Center for Architecture has expanded its program to provide even more scholarships to a broader range of students interested in pursuing the study of architecture. The following summary encompasses all planned scholarship funding for 2024:
Center for Architecture Design Scholarship
The Center for Architecture’s namesake scholarship, the Center for Architecture Design Scholarship, is offered to students seeking their first professional degree in architecture or a related design discipline from an accredited school in New York State. The dean or chair of the architectural school or accredited design program may invite up to two students from their respective college or university to apply based on their academic performance and evidence of financial need. The student’s financial need will be determined by the guidelines of the Financial Aid Officer of the school nominating the candidate.
In 2024, the Grants and Scholarships Committee awarded three merit-based scholarships totaling $5,000. One awardee also received an AIA Component Matching Scholarship Grant of $1,000:
- Catherine Lizbeth Moreno was awarded $2,500 in her fourth year of the B.Arch program at the Pratt Institute. Alongside Moreno’s design studies, she actively engages in social and political causes, serving as the Vice Chairperson of NYPIRG. In this role, Moreno promotes public interest campaigns and reforms across New York State. Additionally, she co-founded Femmes of the Future, a collective aimed at creating mentorship and networking opportunities for women in design and architecture. Her dedication to empowering underrepresented voices extends to her involvement in organizations such as WIA, NOMAS, AIAS, and The Architecture Lobby.
- Christopher Martinovic was awarded $1,500 in his final year of earning a Master of Landscape Architecture at the City College of New York, Spitzer School of Architecture. His interest in design spans various topics and scales from pocket parks to large scale urban visions. Both academically and professionally, he explores speculative urban futures that leverage ecological systems, computation, and innovative policy to better understand how cities may adapt to environmental changes and ensure the health, safety, and welfare of people and the environment.
- Flora JingLin Ng was awarded $1,000 from the Center for Architecture and $1,000 from AIA National as part of the AIA Component Matching Scholarship Grant. She is a second-year Master of Architecture student at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Her focus lies in composing research-driven designs that challenge conventional systems while exploring conceptual frameworks and new modes of representation. Her passion for the built environment extends to writing, where she actively contributes to discussions on social inclusion and sustainability.
Allwork Scholarship
The Allwork Scholarship supports architecture students with demonstrated financial need seeking their first professional degree in architecture or a related design discipline from an accredited school in New York State. Students must be nominated by the dean or chair of the school of architecture in which they are currently studying in order to apply for this award.
In 2024, the Grants and Scholarships Committee awarded four merit-based scholarships totaling $20,000:
- Elle Qirui Fang was awarded $5,000 towards her B.Arch degree at Pratt Institute. Fang advocates for designs that revitalize urban areas, promote sustainability, and enhance the human experience. Her goal is to integrate new technologies and representation styles, creating respectful, innovative designs that move beyond conventional norms and make a contribution to the field of architecture. As an architecture student, she actively mentors aspiring young designers, aiming to inspire new creators in the field. Her work has been recognized with a RIBA Nomination and the Michael Hollander Drawing Excellence Award.
- Juan Esteban Jimenez Giraldo was awarded $5,000 as a fourth-year architecture student at the City College of New York, Spitzer School of Architecture. During his time in architecture school, Giraldo has discovered not only the beauty of architectural design but has also seen its transformative power as a catalyst for connection As an architecture student, his dream is to build up a legacy through architecture, one that not only creates beautiful spaces, but one that also makes human experience be richer by fostering inclusivity and empowerment.
- Seong Hyun Leem was awarded $5,000 in the pursuit of a M.Arch at Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and holds a Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Hongik University, School of Architecture. Following the completion of his undergraduate studies in South Korea, Leem was awarded 1st Prize for his thesis project, Alumni President Honors.
- Tate Liang was awarded $5,000 towards her B.Arch degree at the Cooper Union. At Cooper, Liang is actively engaged in shaping critical pedagogy by bringing diverse voices and creating conversations on designing culture, the methodology of making and the human scale through leading the student-curated lecture series. He has a background in computer science and has shared his enthusiasm for technology through teaching coding and robotics, making apps, and developing playful interfaces for machine learning algorithms. He is also passionate about sustainability and resilient solutions, and has participated in Cooper’s Solar Decathlon team.
Walter A. Hunt, Jr. Scholarship:
The Walter A. Hunt, Jr. Scholarship was founded to promote and encourage the study of architecture by New York public high school students. The scholarship provides financial assistance to supplement tuition and related costs during a student’s freshman and sophomore years at a NAAB-accredited school of architecture in the U.S. The scholarship honors Hunt’s dedication to the field of architecture and architectural education.
After careful consideration of the highly competitive applications received, three applicants were selected to receive awards totaling $30,000:
- Nico Frey Ottaviani, a graduate of Midwood High School, will begin the Bachelor of Architecture program at the Pratt Institute with $20,000 in tuition supporting his freshman and sophomore years.
- Julia Chang, a graduate of the Townsend Harris High School, will pursue the Bachelor of Architecture program at Cooper Union. She is a recipient of a $5,000 award in tuition towards her freshman year.
- Obadiah Anthony McMillan, a graduate of the Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design, will begin the Bachelor of Architecture program at Cooper Union as a recipient of a $5,000 award in tuition towards his freshman year.
2030 Fund
The 2030 Fund provides student loan debt relief and licensure support for aspiring BIPOC architects pursuing licensure. The fund, created by 2021 AIANY President Kenneth A. Lewis, AIA, in collaboration with the New York Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (nycoba|NOMA), seeks to support NOMA’s 2030 Challenge, which aims to double the number of licensed Black architects by the end of the decade. In 2024, its third year, the 2030 Fund awarded $10,000 in loan forgiveness to six recipients.
Scholarships were awarded by the following 2024 Committees:
Scholarship Committee:
Matthew Bremer, AIA, Architecture in Formation
Jennifer Sage, FAIA, LEED AP, Sage + Coombe Architects
Nina Cooke-John, AIA, Studio Cooke John
Sydney Maubert, Cornell University
Anthony Titus, Anthony Titus Studio
Jessica Sheridan, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Mancini Duffy
Sara Caples, AIA, Caples Jefferson Architects
Richard C. Yancey, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB, Building Energy Exchange
Eunjeong Seong, Visible Weather
Peter Robinson, Cornell University
Walter A. Hunt, Jr. Committee:
Judy Hunt, wife of Walter Hunt
Keith Frome Rosen, AIA, Gensler
Madeline Burke-Vigeland, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB, Gensler
Joshua Katz, AIA, Gensler
Ambrose Aliaga-Kelly, AIA, Gensler
Leslie J. Jabs, AIA, CDT, Gensler
2030 Fund Selection Committee:
Matthew Bremer, AIA, Architecture in Formation
Mark Gardner, AIA, NOMA, Jaklitsch / Gardner
A.L. Hu, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, EcoDistricts AP, Columbia University
Allison Lane, RA, AIA, ASID, NCARB, NCIDQ, LEED AP, WELL AP, NOMA, AECOM
Jesse Lazar, Assoc. AIA, AIA New York | Center for Architecture
Kenneth A. Lewis, AIA, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Gregory T. Switzer, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, SWITZER Architecture
About Center for Architecture Grants and Scholarships
The Center for Architecture, in partnership with AIANY, awards scholarships and grant awards throughout the year for architectural students, architectural student journals, and practicing architects. Scholarships are open to New York City and grants are open to applicants nationwide.
To find out more about our upcoming deadlines, please visit: centerforarchitecture.org/scholarships-grants.