Jenna Simpson

Degree: BLArch

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2023

I’m From: Portland, OR

Why I Came to the UO and How I Chose My Major
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest so the UO already feels like home to me, but more importantly, studying at the University of Oregon offers me everything I desire; the natural beauty of the Northwest, a community passionate about the environment, and the College of Design. Here I am learning how to utilize my talent in design and my love of nature within a team-based environment. Learning how to plan spaces that could last centuries and how to use my creativity and imagination to come up with visions for surrounding environments that the public will enjoy is inspiring. This is a chance for me to explore the possibilities.

As a kid, I was always fascinated by architecture. I would watch tv shows with my grandparents based around architectural design and always enjoyed going house hunting with family members to find the best looking home possible. I also had an interest in the environment. I loved to be outdoors and was always intrigued by the natural sciences in school; specifically learning about climate change and how we as a human race are impacting the world we live in. I didn’t even know Landscape Architecture was a major until I visited the UO as a junior in high school. It merged my two interests perfectly and for the first time, I felt really excited about a potential career. The idea that I could create urban areas and designs that might have an influence on the community around me, left me with a feeling of enthusiasm and excitement for my future. I wanted to learn how to reinvent spaces that people live and work in and incorporate aspects of sustainable design and nature into them. Having already completed one year as a landscape architecture major, I can’t wait to see where the next three take me.

Unique Qualities I Bring to My Studies
Before entering my major at the UO, I participated in a few out of school experiences to get a feel for what having a career in the field of landscape architecture might be like. I was accepted into an architecture, construction, and engineering-based program, called the ACE Mentor Program, which provides students interested in these fields the opportunity to emulate an actual design team, guided through a mock design project by their architect, engineer, and construction management mentors. While it wasn’t exactly specific to my career interests, it gave me a good foundation for how to work in a team to develop a real-world project. I also worked at a paid internship last summer with Reyes Engineering Inc., an electrical engineering firm that collaborates with many professional teams, including landscape architects. While there, I was able to visit several outdoor projects in progress to observe how the engineering and landscape architect teams worked together to bring the architect’s vision to life. I believe that these experiences, combined with my deep love of nature and a childhood spent exploring our amazing national park system, have helped to create an excitement in me to participate in the field of landscape architecture.

My Influential Professors
While I’ve only had the opportunity to know a handful of professors in the year that I’ve been at the UO, Jacques Abelman, my studio professor, has probably been the most influential in my growth as a landscape architecture student, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transferring from in-person reviews, feedback, and presentations to a completely online world is quite a tricky thing to do as a student with a major that relies primarily on physical, hands-on activities, but Jacques not only helped everyone in my cohort to traverse the online obstacle by providing help whenever needed, but also by critically analyzing my work and providing constructive and insightful feedback. Of course, other professors have provided me with reliable criticism as well, I just feel that Jacques had the ability to see where I struggled most, and then he helped me to see the situation from a new perspective. This made my work more professional and, hopefully, more accessible for the eventual user. I believe due to his input, I’ve improved significantly from my first studio to my second, despite everything being online. I feel prepared and am looking forward to my junior year as a landscape architecture student.

My Extracurricular Activities
For my first year at UO, I wanted to focus primarily on my studies, my part-time job at the Knight Library, and get my feet wet before participating in any experiences beyond that. As I’m entering my junior year of college, I am interested in joining the student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architecture and participating in the Urban Farm. I am also curious to learn more about the study abroad programs within the LA program, particularly in Barcelona.

My Greatest Learning Experience at UO
One of the greatest learning experiences I’ve had while being at the UO so far has to be learning to face the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown at our world in a positive way. Not only did I have to move my life out of the dorms and back to my home city after winter term, but the entirety of the spring term was remote, which initially felt very frustrating as I was just finding my stride in my new major. This was a large learning curve for me, as I have a hard time focusing during digital classes while being in my home and, if I’m being honest, I’ve had a hard time adapting to new situations—flexibility has not traditionally been my forte. I had to quickly adapt to a new schedule and way of doing things after just getting into a new and comfortable routine in Eugene. It forced me to become more aware of and flexible with my environment and classes, as well as becoming more open to unknown situations. While I hope we can return to in-person courses soon, this past spring taught me how to acclimate and just go with the flow regardless of what happens.

After Graduation
I want my career to focus on creating landscape designs that promote sustainability and help aid our planet into recovery from climate change. While I know my contribution may be small in comparison to how big an issue our warming climate is, I think it’s the small steps made by every person that could lead to a snowball effect in the future. I believe landscape architecture will become much more integral in the coming years to incorporate more nature into our dense, concrete cities.

Your Gift
My goal is to graduate college with as little debt as possible,  and since I pay for a sizable portion of my tuition on my own, I need to work throughout the entire year. This scholarship will allow me to work a little less and put more of my attention toward my studies, including allowing a little more free time to participate in extracurricular activities within Landscape Architecture. I’m extremely grateful that receiving this scholarship has taken some of the weight off my shoulders.

Thank you for your very generous scholarship. I just want to express my greatest gratitude and appreciation for offering me your scholarship. It’s truly an honor and I want you to know that your generous support is helping me achieve my dreams. Thank you!