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Transferring schools is no easy feat, a challenge Claire Cameron (ENVD’26) knows too well after joining CU as a sophomore. When she received the Douglas Darden Memorial Scholarship, however, her sense of belonging within the Program in Environmental Design solidified.  

“I found such a home for myself in ENVD and I feel like it’s a recognition of that,” Cameron shared. “It’s kind of an appreciation of the work that I’m doing and that it’s heading in the right direction.”  

Each year, ENVD awards more than $50,000 in scholarships and awards to support financial need, honor academic merit and celebrate contributions to the field of environmental design. This year, Cameron was one of 13 ENVD undergraduates to receive ENVD scholarships for the 2024-2025 academic year.  

Cogan Nguyen (ENVD’25), who won the Hideo Sasaki Scholarship in Interdisciplinary Design, felt that this award has especially helped him to stay motivated. “I've always had a big procrastination issue. I always waited until the last minute and that led to my projects being piled up on each other,” he explained. “So, with this scholarship, I feel like I made that adjustment over time to get better at it. And this is just living proof that it helped in the long run.”   

On Thursday, September 12, award recipients were honored and recognized for their achievements during a scholarship luncheon held in the University Memorial Center’s Aspen Room. Along with their families and friends, the students were joined by ENVD staff, faculty and members of Colorado’s chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The AIA members attended on behalf of AIA’s Architectural Education Foundation (AEF), which has developed a special fund that awards scholarships, grants and prizes to students advancing the profession of architecture and design. 

Adam Harding (ENVD’04), partner at Roth Sheppard Architects and a past president of AIA Colorado, currently manages this fund with AIA leadership. As an ENVD alum himself, Harding recognizes how the design profession’s financial requirements can often be a burden to students.  

“I hope that [the scholarships] give students a bit of hope and a notion of community,” he acknowledged. “We are a small community in Colorado and we all fiercely support one another and want people to succeed. So, hopefully it does some good in a way.” 

For Cameron and Nguyen, these scholarships have provided financial support and a sense of belonging and recognition within ENVD’s tight-knit community. 

“ENVD is such a rich community with so many passionate people who really deserve to be recognized,” Cameron explained. “Putting energy back into that and putting funding into that really helps the community grow, and just gives students of different backgrounds a space where they can really be creative.”

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 scholarship and award recipients!