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Congratulations
CAPLA class of

2023

Welcome to the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture Spring 2023 Convocation Showcase!


Meet CAPLA’s outstanding graduates and leave a congratulatory note on their pages, watch as student organizations bid their students farewell, enjoy a gallery of photos submitted by graduating students and view messages from college administration.

Watch the CAPLA 2023 Convocation Livestream!
Saturday, May 13, 7 p.m.

Address from the Dean

HOW THE CLASS OF 2023 INSPIRES DEAN NANCY POLLOCK-ELLWAND
Dean, College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture

Address from the School Directors

RYAN SMITH
Director, School of Architecture

LAURI MACMILLAN JOHNSON
Director, School of Landscape Architecture and Planning

Student and Other Awards

School of Architecture Student Awards

Bachelor of Architecture Student Awards

Outstanding Senior Award

  • Hallie Letsinger

Alpha Rho Chi Medal

  • Kaya Asiyih Orona

Undergraduate Assistant Award

  • David Zúñiga

ARCC King Medal

  • Erica Leimahinaanue Pilotin

Capstone Award

  • Nhan Van Vo

Ronald G. Gourley Award for Design Excellence

  • Kaya Asiyih Orona

AIA Henry Adams Award

  • Kaya Asiyih Orona

Rick Joy Awards

  • Nickolas Paul Witt, Generous Mind
  • Jed Perena, Architectural Mind
  • Melack Albargash, Identifying Mind − Keen Observations

Architecture Steam Awards

  • Fatima Alsulaiman, History Stream Award
  • Abigail Denninghoff, Studio Steam Award
  • Nickolas Paul Witt, Studio Stream Award
  • Alex Provine, Practice Stream Award
  • Maggie Collopy, Technology Stream Award
  • Jonah Mikkalson, D.Comm Stream Award

Design Excellence Awards

  • Merle Weisshaupt, Winner, ARC 201/202
  • Gabriel D. Garcia, Honorable Mention, ARC 201/202
  • Jed Perea, Winner, Bisbee Music Park
  • Abdullah Alobaid, Honorable Mention, Bisbee Culinary
  • Alexis Campion, Winner, House of Water
  • Brandon Willmon, Honorable Mention, Water and Light: Sietch del Oro
  • Melack Albargash, Winner, Refugee Community Center
  • Solar Decathlon Studio (Alyssa Fink, Seunghu Kim, Michelle Munguia and Kedar Sitapati), Honorable Mention, Casa Verde
  • Hallie Letsinger, Winner, Monuments for Dreams and Memories
  • Nhan Van Vo, Honorable Mention, Desert Ambush
  • Nickolas Paul Witt, Winner, The Magic of Real
  • Mathew Steven Du and Serena Francsca Gray, Honorable Mention, Redesigning the Residential
  • Christian Walker, Winner, Yesterday Park
  • Nicolas Montano, Honorable Mention, Historic Garfield
  • Studio Moyo
    Lesley Acosta
    Amanda Michelle Attakai
    Itzel Fimbres
    Bradyn Hashiro
    Nour Kaddoura
    Dara Le
    Waverly Rose Mellies
    Valerie Rauh
    Alan Axel Romo Lopez
    Johnathan Szymanowski
    Dongting Xi

Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society in Architecture and Allied Arts

  • Athba Alradaan
  • Fatima Alzahraa Alsulaiman
  • Juliana Sophia Cervantes
  • Serena Francesca Gray
  • Yaqoub Hasan
  • Hunter Yi Jinbo
  • Kaya Asuyih Orona
  • Alexandrea Provine

Master of Architecture Student Awards

Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

  • Kathy Le

Outstanding Leadership Award

  • Erika Schmidt

AIA Henry Adams Award

  • Gregory Veitch

Stream Awards

  • Erika Schmidt, History Stream Award
  • Gregory Veitch, Studio Stream Award + Technology Stream Award
  • Clarissa-Gabrielle Becerril, D.Comm Stream Award
  • Rista Vasiljevic, Practice Stream Award

Design Excellence Awards

  • Studio Moyo
    Srutarshi Adhikari
    Clarissa-Gabrielle Becerill
    Kevin McQuaid
    Amanda Petr
    Erika Schmidt
    Sepideh Sharifi-Mazhzoon
    Rista Vasiljevic
    Greg Veitch

Master of Science in Architecture student Awards

Outstanding Leadership Award

  • Felipe Florentino

Best Master’s Project

  • Felipe Florentino

Faculty Commendation

  • Chumei Rui

School of Landscape Architecture and Planning Student Awards

Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments Student Awards

SBE Capstone Award

  • Lydia Maye Barker-Winkworth  
  • Maxi Flores 
  • Katlin Mouisset 
  • Diego Vicuña Lacherre 

NITC Student Scholar Award

  • Ashley Avila  
  • Lydia Maye Barker-Winkworth 

Faculty Commendation

  • Ashley Avila 
  • Lydia Maye Barker-Winkworth 
  • Claudia Benites Silva  
  • DaviAnn Blas 
  • Landon Brenish 
  • Julio Cueva Lujan 
  • Jackson Ells  
  • Jessica Faith Ferreira  
  • Ashton Guza 
  • Josh Heros  
  • Cory LaPlant 
  • Crystal Miller 
  • Viviana Miranda Arana 
  • Katlin Mouisset 
  • Alejandra Pachas Ramirez 
  • Jacob Charles Schaffer  
  • Stella Shao 
  • Heather Schulz 

Master of Landscape Architecture Student Awards

Landscape Architecture Foundation Olmsted Scholar

  • Jianjie Ma 

CELA Fountain Scholar Award

  • Patricia Vasquez Cabrera  

AzASLA Honor Award

  • Teresa DeKoker 

AzASLA Merit Award

  • Jianjie Ma 

AzASLA 2022 Student Collaborative Design Honor Award

  • Teresa Dekoker 
  • B. Blake Houghton II 
  • Huanyu Liu 
  • Lauran Morrissey 
  • Jianjie Ma 
  • Kendall Murie 
  • Price Riggins 
  • Patricia Vasquez Cabrera 

AzASLA 2022 Student Collaborative Design Design Award of Excellence

  • Jianjie Ma 
  • Lin Tang 
  • Keegan Thomas 
  • Patricia Vasquez Cabrera 

AzASLA 2023 Student Individual Honor Award

  • Krista Planinac

Leadership Award

  • Teresa DeKoker 

Outstanding GPA Award

  • Jianjie Ma 
  • Keegan Thomas 
  • Patricia Vasquez Cabrera 

Sigma Lambda Alpha Honor Society

  • B. Blake Houghton II 
  • Keegan Thomas
  • Jianjie Ma

Master of REal Estate Development Student Awards

Projects in Real Estate Award (MRED) 

  • Derek Drees  
  • Nathan Dyhre 
  • Patrick Hayter  
  • Katie Wallace

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant

  • Katie Wallace

Outstanding GPA Award

  • Alonso Carrillo 
  • David Dempsey 
  • Jeffrey Elias 
  • Robert Freeman 
  • Fred Lupe Moreno 
  • Myles Ramsey 
  • Daniel Scaring 
  • Jason George Scott 
  • Alissa Tibbs  

NITC Student Scholar Award 

  • Nathan Dyhre 

Master of Science in Urban Planning Student Awards

2023 AICP Outstanding Student Award

  • Keri Tallorin 

Faculty Distinction Award

  • Veronique (Vero) Arguello

NITC Student Scholar Award

  • Andrew Birkelbach 
  • Nathan Dyhre 
  • Glenn Ingram 
  • Lauren Heath 
  • Shamara Smith 
  • James Stuart 

Excellence in Planning Research Award

  • Stephanie Smith

Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant

  • Glenn Ingram
  • Sarah McDowell

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant

  • Xahria Santiago

Outstanding GPA Award

  • Zsalina Allen 
  • Veronique Arguello 
  • Andrew Birkelbach 
  • Lauren Heath
  • Glenn Ingram 
  • James Stuart
  • Keri Tallorin 

Friends of Planning – Planning Excellence Gold Winner: El Pueblo Station Area Plan & Neighborhood Revitalization 

  • Andrew Birkelbach (lead) 
  • Zsalina Allen 
  • Glenn Ingram 
  • Xahria Santiago 
  • Keri Tallorin 

Friends of Planning – Planning Excellence Silver Winner: Tourist-Sector Prosperity and Vision Planning for Santa Cruz County 

  • Stephanie Smith (lead) 
  • Nate Dyhre 
  • Sarah McDowell 
  • Anushka Phalke 
  • Katie Christine Wallace 

CAPLA Faculty and Staff Awards

School of Architecture Faculty Teaching Award

  • Jesús Edmundo Robles, Jr., Assistant Professor of Practice in Architecture

School of Architecture Faculty Research Award

  • Altaf Engineer, Assistant Professor of Architecture

School of Architecture Faculty Service Award

  • Clare Robinson, Associate Professor of Architecture
  • Oscar Lopez, Senior Lecturer in Architecture

Roy P. Drachman Award for Excellence

  • Richärd | Kennedy Architects, CAPLA West Building Renovation

Anne Graham Rockfellow Memorial Award, Presented by Women in Architecture Society

  • Laura Hollengreen, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Architecture

CAPLA Clubs + Life

View messages from student organizations and a gallery of images of CAPLA life submitted by graduating students:

Graduate Certificates

View recipients of CAPLA Graduate Certificates in 2023:

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