Jackson Klingelhofer

This is a photo of me and a good friend working at the urban farm on campus! I am on the left. The urban farm has contributed significantly to my love for school and landscape architecture. It has given me a community of like-minded people that I share interests with while also inspiring me to do better for our earth. I learned a lot about taking care of our soil as well as tending to our environment by eating local and supporting small-scale agriculture.

Degree: Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2026

2023 Scholarship
Lynn Mathews Memorial Scholarship

I Am Originally From Columbus, Ohio

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I chose the University of Oregon because I appreciate the environment that the school provides. The school has integrated green spaces throughout the entire campus and it has contributed significantly to my productivity and general happiness. Additionally, I chose the University of Oregon because I knew I would find like minded and constructive people here. Throughout my experience so far at UO, I have been inspired and challenged by many of my peers, helping me to keep going and strive to do better. The College of Design specifically has provided me with a group of people, both professors and students, that teach me new things everyday. I am thankful for the small class sizes and personal connections I am able to make with faculty and students through the college of design.

Throughout my life I have always noticed the absence of green spaces in urban settings. I have always felt uncomfortable in cities because they do not have many places where a person can relax and breathe in fresh air. I chose to pursue landscape architecture so that I could change that. My goal as a future landscape architect is to provide cities with more green spaces so that we can improve urban mental health as well as preventing urban heat islands and waste.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
Throughout my entire life I have been a performer. I thrive off connecting with an audience and entertaining them in different ways. Additionally, I express my creativity through performing by integrating my own personality in each character I play or by keeping certain personal stylistic choices in each song I sing. I bring my experience in performing to my studies as I am always striving to give people who view or purchase my work the experience they desire. I want to make sure that I still have an effect on people even if I am not performing for them. While I do this, I add personal touches to each of my projects in order to express my creativity and influence people who experience my work to do the same.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
One of my most influential professors at UO has been Dr. Barbara Mossberg. She taught HC 221 class, Eco-literature. She was particularly influential for me because of the way she connected with each of her students. She met with students individually to learn about their interests and how she could inspire them in her class. She taught me that there are many different ways to express learning: through art pieces, music, poetry, and so much more. She helped me connect to the earth on an artistic level that I hadn’t before. This new found connection that I learned in the class with Dr. B has influenced my work in many ways. I have vowed to always work with the landscape to create a space that interacts with the environment as well as people, rather than just build over the land.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am involved in the UO Run Club. Run Club provides me with a space where I can feel productive and active while also meeting new people and taking a break from my work. Run Club keeps me motivated and inspired through friendly competition and supportive team members. I appreciate many of my friends on the team for helping me stay on track with my studies as well as showing me how I can relax outside of class while also bettering myself.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
The greatest learning experience I have had at UO so far is to ask for help when I need it. During my 2nd quarter, I had trouble staying on track with everything I needed and wanted to do. I struggled with being productive, but when I took time to relax I felt guilty for not doing my work. I was stuck in a slump for quite some time, but I was able to get out of that low by reaching out to my professor Dr. Barbara Mossberg. When I reached out to her she consoled me and helped me through it while also providing me with different habits and tips that she uses to keep herself on track. She showed me that I can work to inspire myself through different creative practices and experiences. Slowly, I noticed my mood begin to improve as I did what she suggested. If I had not reached out to her, I would have let myself fall deeper, but instead I learned from her how to support myself in different ways.

AFTER GRADUATION
After graduating, I hope to be influencing urban spaces by creating interactive green spaces around US cities. I hope to give the people of our cities more spaces where they can decompress. I want to show people how influential our environment can be and how much it can teach us.

YOUR GIFT
This scholarship is important to me because it helps me achieve my dreams of becoming a landscape architect while paying out of state tuition to attend UO. By receiving this scholarship, I am able to take extra weight off of my parents’ shoulders as they support me through my college journey. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities they have given me throughout my life, and helping them support me in any way I can is how I show my gratitude.

Thank you so much for the generous scholarship you have created. I am thankful for the opportunity to attend UO, and this is another way to make that happen. Thank you for helping me pursue my secondary education so that I can help change our world.