Today, the Architects Foundation, in partnership with Giving Moore, a foundation of paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore & Co., announced the 2017 recipients of the Diversity Advancement Scholarship. The award “provides assistance to individuals from a minority race or ethnicity pursuing a professional degree in architecture recognized by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB),” according to AIA’s press release. Founded in 1969, this scholarship program (originally called the Ford Foundation Scholarship) awards students $5,000 for the 2017 academic year, and $5,000 more per subsequent year of their undergraduate studies for up to five years.
This year’s winners are Leslie Epps, a rising sophomore at the City College of New York in New York, who plans to “pursue a career in architecture that enables her to travel the world, design in other countries and expand her global experiences”; and Sierra Callwood, an incoming freshman at Tulane University, in New Orleans, “whose interests early on in robotics, art, and history influenced her passion for the multifaceted discipline of architecture,” according to the press release.
“It is an honor to recognize Leslie and Sierra with this scholarship,” said Architects Foundation president Jeffrey Potter, FAIA, in the release. “Their hard work and desire to enter the profession serves as source of inspiration to those of us at the Architects Foundation and practicing architects everywhere. We look forward to the perspectives these scholars bring in shaping communities in the future.
Leslie Epps
Since the inaugural Diversity Advancement scholarships were awarded in 1970, more than 2,300 architecture students have been recognized. Eligible applicants must be a member of a minority race or ethnicity, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, be a U.S. citizen, and be a rising first- or second-year student at an NAAB-accredited program.
