Statement of Purpose Cal Poly Pomona MLA
My time as an Environmental Studies student at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has led me to a particular interest in the world of landscape and how it can be used as a tool to promote sustainable thinking, foster environmental stewardship and connect people to the environment. As a sustainable communities concentration and undergraduate researcher, I have participated in many projects related to the physical landscape and its ability to bring forth engagement while creating connections to the environment. I am seeking a Masters in Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona to gather advanced experience in the design of landscape systems that transform urban settings at different scales and solve complex environmental and social issues.
My affinity for landscape came about through a research methods course where we explored the campus through biophilic design. In this class, I realized many students at CSUMB felt there was a lack of green space on campus and wanted to see more. I took this idea one step further and conducted research to gather stakeholder perspectives of the students, faculty, and campus planners that consider ways a campus botanical garden could be used as a space for learning, garnering student engagement in the environment, and improving the campus aesthetic. Furthermore, my mentor and I have written a systematic literature review about landscape as part of Living Laboratories in higher education and campus design which was submitted to the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education for review. Both projects helped me realize that I not only enjoy advocating for these purposeful green spaces but also that I have a deep desire to be part of the actual design process, being able to see my ideas come to life in a creative way. In the upcoming spring semester for my senior capstone project I will be incorporating campus landscapes, living laboratories, and campus perspectives into a conceptual design and potential planting plan for the potential botanical garden at CSUMB. I will also be enrolled in a special projects course that will evaluate institutional frameworks that support greening of K-12 campus landscapes as sites for sustainability and teaching.
The interdisciplinary nature of my degree has also allowed me to develop skills in areas of sustainable infrastructure systems, GIS/GPS mapping, and ecology. Combined with my specific project interests above, this diverse background makes me a strong candidate for the Masters in Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. I bring a diversity of knowledge and skills in sustainable systems and environmental education that I feel would bring value to a cohort of students. Cal Poly Pomona also has an exceptional reputation for preparing students in a multitude of fields, through rigorous coursework and “learning by doing” experiences. This kind of experiential learning is what I hope to gain in the Landscape Architecture program so that I may enter the professional field prepared for any challenge I might face. Cal Poly Pomona’s Landscape Architecture program in particular has a great focus on using landscape and design to solve ecological, environmental, and social justice problems that are adversely affecting our local communities. Taking into account community needs within the program was a key factor in my consideration for Cal Poly Pomona, making it my top choice in my list of programs. Whether it’s designing green spaces for a K-12 or college campus, personal clients, or landscapes at an urban scale, obtaining the knowledge to address these issues through landscape design are vital for transforming our world towards sustainability and is one of my main goals for my future career, making Cal Poly Pomona the perfect fit for me.
My affinity for landscape came about through a research methods course where we explored the campus through biophilic design. In this class, I realized many students at CSUMB felt there was a lack of green space on campus and wanted to see more. I took this idea one step further and conducted research to gather stakeholder perspectives of the students, faculty, and campus planners that consider ways a campus botanical garden could be used as a space for learning, garnering student engagement in the environment, and improving the campus aesthetic. Furthermore, my mentor and I have written a systematic literature review about landscape as part of Living Laboratories in higher education and campus design which was submitted to the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education for review. Both projects helped me realize that I not only enjoy advocating for these purposeful green spaces but also that I have a deep desire to be part of the actual design process, being able to see my ideas come to life in a creative way. In the upcoming spring semester for my senior capstone project I will be incorporating campus landscapes, living laboratories, and campus perspectives into a conceptual design and potential planting plan for the potential botanical garden at CSUMB. I will also be enrolled in a special projects course that will evaluate institutional frameworks that support greening of K-12 campus landscapes as sites for sustainability and teaching.
The interdisciplinary nature of my degree has also allowed me to develop skills in areas of sustainable infrastructure systems, GIS/GPS mapping, and ecology. Combined with my specific project interests above, this diverse background makes me a strong candidate for the Masters in Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. I bring a diversity of knowledge and skills in sustainable systems and environmental education that I feel would bring value to a cohort of students. Cal Poly Pomona also has an exceptional reputation for preparing students in a multitude of fields, through rigorous coursework and “learning by doing” experiences. This kind of experiential learning is what I hope to gain in the Landscape Architecture program so that I may enter the professional field prepared for any challenge I might face. Cal Poly Pomona’s Landscape Architecture program in particular has a great focus on using landscape and design to solve ecological, environmental, and social justice problems that are adversely affecting our local communities. Taking into account community needs within the program was a key factor in my consideration for Cal Poly Pomona, making it my top choice in my list of programs. Whether it’s designing green spaces for a K-12 or college campus, personal clients, or landscapes at an urban scale, obtaining the knowledge to address these issues through landscape design are vital for transforming our world towards sustainability and is one of my main goals for my future career, making Cal Poly Pomona the perfect fit for me.