Community College Scholarship Winners Announced
“I am lucky to be employed in an architectural firm using Revit and learning about the profession in the real world…This scholarship is important to me because I can't work full time, and I need to dedicate time to my education, get the degree, and pursue my future career goals…This scholarship will help me financially for the degree.”
Mt. San Antonio College student Kevin Bui has won the 2023 Jean Roth Driskel Scholarship second prize of $7,000. Kevin is in a dual major – Architecture and Design Computation & Computer Science. “I chose to pursue a degree in architecture and design computation & computer science because I strongly believe that architecture can and should have a symbiotic relationship with digital technology. Coding and scripting can be used in tandem with architecture to help develop and create projects that will meet the demands of the modern world.”About the Jean Roth Driskel Scholarships
If you’re an architect, think back to when you were in school, perhaps the early 90’s. In 1991 annual tuition was 4.2% of annual median household income; and 18.2% in 2019. As a part of annual median income, it’s risen a staggering 4.33 times! We believe the shrinking architectural programs reflect these rising costs. In 23 years, the number of architectural programs has shrunk from 155 to 100. The number of architectural students in that period has shrunk from 35,500 to 24,500 students. Parents and high school students look at the cost of architectural education (five years instead of four), salaries of those after graduation, consider the average age for licensure as 32, and choose an alternative career. Today it is impossible to earn your way through college. Financial support is essential from families, scholarships, grants, and/or loans. The Jean Roth Driskel Scholarships are available to nine community colleges and universities with architectural programs in the LA region. They serve about 2,600 students. While we’ve increased the amount of scholarships ten-fold in less than four years (2023 awarding four scholarships totaling $33,000) we need to do much more to meet the crushing burden today’s architectural students face. Our 2022 Driskel Scholars will be recognized at our anniversary kick-off. Two are 4th year students in B Arch programs. Ruby Pedrazzetti at Woodbury University received an $8,000 scholarship and Morgan Knowles at SCI-Arc a $6,000 scholarship. And two transferred from Mt Sac into Cal Poly Pomona, Jullianne Baliton receiving an $8,000 scholarship and Derek Farias, a $6,000 scholarship paid directly to the college for the awardee's tuition and fees. Ruby Pedrazzetti – “I look forward to graduating in Spring 2024 so I can have more time to get hands-on experience in my fields of interest. I want to constantly massage the art and architecture world together until my practices work symbiotically. I intend to keep engaging with communities in need of more design resources and help open people's minds and hearts through space, art, and storytelling.” Morgan Knowles – “Outside of school my partner and I have been working to establish our own practice and are deep in the weeds of starting an LLC, building a website, and starting the licensing process.” CLICK HERE TO DONATE ONLINE The Jean Roth Driskel Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the California Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions to the California Community Foundation represent irrevocable gifts subject to the legal and fiduciary control of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Review our 2022 Annual Report by clicking here. Special thanks to
Internship Opportunities for Driskel Interns Students can learn more about this scholarship and other opportunities by visiting the Student Resources page. As a follow-up service to our JRD scholars and nominees, our scholarship fundraising committee worked to link students with interested firms for internship opportunities. Several firms mentioned attending job fairs at local colleges and universities, which are being held earlier than previous years. Some contacted firms mentioned their own internship recruitment programs that also begin early in the year. In a discussion with Lance Bird FAIA, Michael Chang AIA (AC Martin Studio Principal) echoed the thoughts of several responding local firms, in stating a desire to align their programs more with the JRD Internship efforts in the future. The good news is that many students, including the JRD participants, are finding opportunities with local firms through school-sponsored job fairs or the firm’s own active recruitment. ---Kevin O’Brien, AIA |
Glendale Community College student Mania Minasvand has been awarded the 2023 Jean Roth Driskel Scholarship first prize of $9,500. She begins her professional B. of Architecture program as a third year student in the Fall at Woodbury University. Jurors were impressed by the exceptional clarity of her design process and mature architectural solutions. Since 2020, Mania has competed in numerous design competitions and was awarded a 2023 Widom Scholarship. This is just the second year Glendale CC has competed for the prize. Look out for future talent from Glendale CC.
