Design Students Receive Scholarships, Awards at Fay Jones School's 2023 Honors Ceremony

Chieko Hara

The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design held its 2023 Honors Recognition Reception and Ceremony on April 14 in Vol Walker Hall on the U of A campus. More than $271,500 in scholarships and awards were handed out, and 99 students were honored.

The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design recently announced that 99 students will receive scholarships and other awards through its 2023 Honors and Awards Recognition program. This year, more than $271,500 was handed out through scholarships and awards that recognized various aspects of achievement among architecture, landscape architecture, and interior architecture and design students. The school hosted an Honors Recognition Reception and Ceremony on April 14 in Vol Walker Hall to celebrate these honorees.

"In 1991, the Fay Jones School awarded just $3,000 in scholarships. By 2014, we could offer $128,000 for student support," said Peter MacKeith, dean of the school. "This year, we were able to award more than $271,500 to our students. Simply stated, in a little less than a decade, our student awards and scholarships have more than doubled. This year, we also were able to recognize 25% more students than we could last year. Our deepest thanks go to the generous support from alumni, friends and the building industry who make this possible."

Many honors were awarded under each of the three departments, while some honors were available to any student within the school. Some students received multiple honors. 

Students selected from the entire school for recognition included:

• Conley Lents (architecture), Samantha Hernandez (architecture), Hayden Wyrick (interior architecture and design) and Jessica Shearman (landscape architecture), all Honors College students, who were named the Senior Scholars. This designation is for the graduating seniors from the school with the highest grade point average.
• Jared Davenport, an architecture and Honors College student who received the U of A Presidential Scholarship. This is awarded to the student with a high academic record in the school.
• Emily Alves (architecture), Camilla Green (interior architecture and design) and Zeacus Brown (landscape architecture), who received the Pryor Award for Leadership in Architecture and Design. This is awarded to rising second-year students who display superior commitment, thoughtfulness and leadership vision in the school and university, given in honor of Sen. David Pryor of Arkansas. Green and Brown are also Honors College students.
• Carter Brooks, an architecture student who received the Alpha Rho Chi Medal. This is awarded to a final-year student who has shown leadership ability, performed willing service for the school and demonstrated promise of professional merit through attitude and personality.
• Kaden Catalano, an architecture student who received the HFA Designing with Technology Scholarship. This is awarded to a rising third-, fourth- or fifth-year student who demonstrates the use and integration of technology in architectural and interior design through use of illustration, planning and design.
• Noah Berg (architecture), Alexa Knopp (interior architecture and design) and Cada Fischer (landscape architecture), who received the Michael J. Buono Sustainability Medal. This is awarded to final-year students who have demonstrated the greatest concern in design studios, cognate courses and the community for environmental, ecological and energy conservation issues. Berg is also an Honors College student.
• Karsen Koziol (architecture), Jason Cote (interior architecture and design) and Jesse Light (landscape architecture), who received Professional Advisory Board Scholarships. These are awarded to final-year students who exhibit hard work, perseverance, dedication and potential for success in the profession.
• Israel Zamorano (architecture), who received the Taggart Architects Advance Arkansas Endowed Scholarship in Memory of Jerry E. Currence. This is awarded to a first-generation Arkansas student who demonstrates academic success.
• Molly Wagner (architecture), who received the CGA Architects Travel Award in Design, a new award this year. This is awarded to a rising third-, fourth- or fifth-year architecture or interior architecture and design student, to be used for any of the school's approved study abroad programs.
• Grace Shoemaker (architecture), Emily Chastain (interior architecture and design) and Alyseona Lee (landscape architecture), who received Dean's Circle Diamond Endowment scholarships, a new award this year. These are awarded to rising third-year students who are members of one of the school's student organizations. Lee is also an Honors College student.
• Lauren Danley (architecture), who received the Jeff Shannon Endowment in Architectural and Design Studies scholarship, a new award this year. This is awarded to a rising fourth- or fifth-year student to assist with approved study abroad.
• Olivia Dedmon (interior architecture and design) and Abigail McDonald (landscape architecture), who received the Lewis Architects Engineers Endowed Scholarship in Honor of D.M. Lewis, a new award this year. This is awarded to rising second-, third-, fourth- or fifth-year students who graduated from a Pulaski County high school in Arkansas.
• Takoya Marks (architecture), who received the Studio Main's Endowed Award in Design Excellence, a new award this year. This is awarded to a rising second-, third-, fourth- or fifth-year student who graduated from a high school located in the Arkansas Delta.

Notable recognition for architecture students included:

• Conley Lents, also an Honors College student, who received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Medal for Academic Excellence. This is awarded to the first-ranked, final-year architecture student in recognition of scholastic achievement, character, leadership and promise of high professional ability.
• Conley Lents, also an Honors College student, who received the Edward Durell Stone Medal. This is awarded to the final-year architecture student with the highest overall grade point average in design studio work.
• Conley Lents, also an Honors College student, who received the Barbara C. Crook Medal. This is awarded to the final-year student who has achieved the highest record in coursework in the architectural technology group.
• Samantha Hernandez, also an Honors College student, who received the C. Murray Smart Medal. This is awarded to the final-year architecture student with the highest scholastic record in the study of history and theory of architecture.
• Clayton Roberson, who received the Cyrus Sutherland Historic Preservation Alliance Scholarship Award. This is awarded to a student who has demonstrated interest in historic preservation.
• Mason Keener, also an Honors College student, who received the AIA Arkansas Fort Smith Section Michael Lewis Lejong Award in Architecture, a new award this year. This is awarded to a third-, fourth- or fifth-year student from Fort Smith or the surrounding area.
• Julia Rose, also an Honors College student, who received the Benson A. Cashion Company Endowed Scholarship in Architecture and Design, a new award this year. This is awarded to a rising second-, third-, fourth- or fifth-year student who graduated from high school in Central Arkansas.
• Pedro Robledo, Margarita Torres, Israel Zamarano and Valeria Alba Sanchez, who received the Mitchell Park Scholarship in Architecture, a new award this year. This is awarded to a rising second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-year student who shows commitment to diversity in the field of architecture.

Notable recognition for landscape architecture students included:

• Hagen Rushing, who received the Verna C. Garvan Medal. This is awarded to the senior student of landscape architecture who, through performance in the studio sequence, has demonstrated outstanding design ability.
• Elijah Willis, who received the Judy Byrd Brittenum Cultural Landscape Award. This is awarded to the student who demonstrates interest in the study of cultural landscapes including cultural sustainability, historic preservation, history and/or cultural landscape documentation.

Notable recognition for interior architecture and design students included:

• Hayden Wyrick, also an Honors College student, who received the Interior Architecture and Design Medal of Excellence. This is awarded to the first-ranked, final-year interior architecture and design student in recognition of scholastic achievement.
• Madison Laxton, who received the Andrew A. Kinslow Interior Design Scholarship. This is awarded to a third- or fourth-year interior architecture and design student from Arkansas who is interested in commercial design and has a high grade point average.
• Daria Hall, Jessica Krueger and Honor Swan, who received the Interior Design Foundation Scholarship. This is awarded to students who demonstrate academic achievement and show promise in the discipline. Hall is also an Honors College student.
• Angelica Williams, who received the William Stephen Lair Design Scholarship. This is awarded to a rising second-, third- or fourth-year student who demonstrates high academic standards and shows academic promise.