Joshua Hubbard

This is a photo of me on a visit with my family in New Jersey. I drove 4,500 miles this summer to see them. I am on the left, wearing the glasses, with my brother and mother.

Degree: BLArch

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2022

2021-2022 Scholarship
Cameron & McCarthy Scholarship for Landscape Architecture

I Am Originally From East Windsor, NJ

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I chose the University of Oregon because if the inclusive and unique culture that Oregon (and the greater Pacific Northwest) is known for. All of the professors and instructors I’ve met at UO have been knowledgeable, passionate, and care about the student body. I also like the smaller size of the landscape architecture program. The small cohorts keep things intimate.

It was something I sort of chose blindly but the more time I spend in landscape architecture, the more I fall in love with it. I would say I selected my major because, I want something creative but practical. It was something I sort of chose blindly, but the more time I spend in landscape architecture, the more I fall in love with it. At the time thinking my only career options were starving artist or accountant. Landscape architecture is much more than just “creative, but practical.” You have to consider the art and anesthetics of a design, the ecology of your plant choices, the engineering of your structures, the sociology of how a landscape interacts within its surroundings and so much more and so much more.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
Growing up in the concrete armpit known as the Mid-Atlantic, where what little nature and landscape there is are has to be stolen from the office parks and highways, definitely is a stark contrast to the endless  verdency of the Pacific Northwest. “Landscape” means something entirely different depending on where you are in the world, and it’s valuable for me is the definitions I’ve learned during my education and the contrast to what I grew up with.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
Mark Eischeid, Assiatant Professor of Landscape Architecture, taught History of Landscape Architecture II course that really opened my eyes to the artistic approaches to landscape design and design in general.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am a member of UO student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). It has proven to not only be a great professional resource (for help seeking internships, setting up portfolios, etc.), but also a valuable social group to make me feel at home and accepted in the program.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
The Shadow Mentor Day 2020 was a great learning experience. I was assigned to shadow the person who designs the stormwater management systems for the City of Portland. A few days prior, a classmate told me about how he shadowed someone in the public sector once, and they were very dispassionate about their work. The person I shadowed ended up being incredibly passionate and it was very inspiring to me. I learned that the prestige of your work is not as important as how your work aligns with your personal values.

AFTER GRADUATION
I’d love to work in the public sector, ideally in something with an urban-ecological impact like stormwater design. So far, every experience at UO has been another step in setting me up to achieve my goals. Be it valuable knowledge from lectures, or connections and advice from my professors.

YOUR GIFT
This scholarship is more than just the relief of the financial burden of tuition. It reminds me that more than just the University and myself are invested in my education, and that there is a string of connections between the UO and the surrounding professional world.

Thank you for investing in me and my future.