Why did you decide to come back to school for landscape architecture?

Note: This digital collage was created using Microsoft’s AI Bing Image Creator. It is a reflection of my love for the lands and plants that have provided me with great opportunity and support.

I came to landscape architecture through a circuitous path. Grounding my work in the land, I had hopes of finding work that would generate greater health, happiness, and connection with outdoor landscapes for myself and others. I wanted to focus my work as a designer and artist on developing therapeutic landscapes and experiences that inspire intentional, supportive connections between people, plants, animals, and the non-tangible world.

• Throughout my life, I've discovered that I have a broad range of interests and a broad set of skills. I like to have varied work and I really enjoy tangible, hands-on work. I also really care about how our environment influences and impacts our overall health and success.

• I feel landscape architecture allows me to engage a broad set of skills. I also enjoy living in the space between art and science. Perhaps they are from the same world, but regardless, it’s exciting to find work that allows me to engage with living, changing, animate beings. There are a wealth of directions that can be traveled down the landscape architecture career path.