Not unlike some of the first public parks in the United States, my journey in landscape architecture began in a cemetery. My grandfather worked in cemeteries for a living, engaging in both the care of the grounds and the preparation of funeral services. Spending time with him in the geologically and ecologically diverse landscapes of the Hudson Valley, it was never difficult to find inspiration from nature. Between the Shawangunk Mountains and the Hudson Highlands, he taught me my first plants (Eastern Hemlock and Mountain Laurel), introduced me to the pleasures of working outdoors, and nurtured a growing appreciation and reverence for the landscape within me.
However, it wasn’t until my early twenties, helping to maintain the cemeteries near my home, that I truly reflected on and began to understand the cultural value of landscape and its potential in fostering human identity, emotional expression, and holistic wellbeing. I learned that cemeteries were just as much a place for the expression of the living as they were places for the interment of the deceased. Observing and partaking in the varied rituals and ceremonies of the cemetery; I found a deep respect for people and an inspiration from watching others engaged with one another in the landscape. Through sharing the experiences of landscape with others, I can often find a sense of comfort and optimism amidst the hardships of living, and through a reflection on our shared mortality, a reinvigorated love and appreciation for people.
Responsibly working with landscape as a medium to engage with people and their stories is one of the greatest privileges of landscape architecture. Every project is an opportunity to understand the world in a different way, through immersion in perspectives that aren’t your own. Every project poses a creative challenge to reconcile natural systems with human needs. These elements, I believe, are what make landscape architecture such an emotionally and spiritually fulfilling endeavor.
Through my work with others, I hope to partake in the collaborative-creative realization of landscapes that successfully serve both environmental and human needs. Through this, I hope to assist in the design and development of inclusive spaces where people are empowered to remember and share their stories with others, connect and adapt with environments that are conducive to holistic wellbeing, and continually rediscover a zeal for life and the people that make life worth living.
Education
Master of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning - North Carolina State University - Spring 2024
Bachelor of Technology in Landscape Contracting - State University of New York at Cobleskill - Spring 2017
Honors and Awards
ASLA Student Honors Award - Student Collaboration
Dynamic Roots- September 2023
Teaching Assistant - Plants, Bioregionalism, and Ecological Design
North Carolina State University
August 2022 - Present
Research Assistant - Just Communities Lab
North Carolina State University
December 2022 - Present
Experience
Junior Landscape Architect - Weintraub Diaz Landscape Architecture
Nyack, New York
June 2024-Present
Intern - New York City Department of Parks and Recreation - Queens Borough
Queens, New York
May - August 2023
Installation Crew Leader - Bloom Fine Gardening
New Paltz, New York
March - July 2021
Project Estimator / Assistant Designer - The Land of ELITE
Poughkeepsie, New York
October 2018 - June 2020