by Jonathan McGaha | May 22, 2012 12:00 am
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) selected nine recipients to receive the 2012 Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship. The recipients will receive compensation for the entire cost of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) and a full set of study guides provided by Kaplan Construction Education.
The recipients of the scholarship were chosen by a jury composed of AIA members including a National Associates Committee representative, a Young Architects Forum representative, IDP Coordinators, and a representative from Kaplan Construction Education.
The recipients were selected on the following criteria:
2012 Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship recipients:
Valerie J. Amor, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C, was the AIAS Junior and Senior Director of Studio at Florida Atlantic University. Amor is involved in mentoring local high school students and serving on local and national boards and committees. She is a LEED consultant and educational designer as well as a published author. As the COTE Co-Chair and Summer Camp Chair for the AIA Fort Lauderdale Chapter, Amor is responsible for designing and directing the Architects in the Making (AIM) Leadership Summer Camp. Founder and CEO of Drawing Conclusions, her design firm has developed “SCĀLe”, spearheading innovative initiatives that address urban sustainability, community building, climate change and the retention of young architectural talent through leadership.
Jeff Bartosik, Assoc. AIA has been an active member of AIA Denver’s Urban Design Committee since 2004. Bartosik’s background includes architectural and urban design projects ranging from mixed use and multi-family buildings to design guidelines and planning projects. He has worked at several well-renowned architecture firms in Denver and is co-founder of the local GreenDrinks chapter. Currently, Bartosik is in the process of starting a consultancy, the Metropolitan Design Office, with a focus on urban design, community and social infrastructure, and transit-oriented development. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning, and at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Design Program.
Tami Beck, Assoc. AIA, currently serves as the AIA Associate Director for the state of Utah and AIA Utah Board of Director’s representative on the Architecture for Education Committee. She is also the Director of the Educating Elementary Children Through Architecture program, an AIA Utah and Utah Center for Architecture outreach initiative which teaches elementary children about building cities. After earning her Master of Architecture degree in 2011 from the University of Utah, she joined GSBS Architects.
Lauren DiBianca Frye, Assoc. AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, earned a Bachelor of Arts in architecture in 2006 from Princeton University. She continued to narrow her architectural interests toward a focus on community-based architecture at the University of Virginia, earning her Master of Architecture in 2009. Since returning to her hometown of Winston-Salem, NC, DiBianca Frye has become the Emerging Professionals Program coordinator at her employer, Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects. She is involved in the AIA through meetings and public service opportunities, and won the 2011 J. Hyatt Hammond Scholarship to attend the AIA NC Conference.
Ryan D. Heusinkveld, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C, received his Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University in 2004. Since graduation he has pursued healthcare and senior-care architecture along with serving the community with a hands-on approach. He is now teaching as an Adjunct Professor at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri while sitting for the ARE exams. As a volunteer, he serves the Red Cross at Bothwell Regional Medical Center and represents the State of Missouri for SAGE (Society of Gerontological Environments) and is presently developing the state chapter. He is a licensed EMT and currently in the Paramedic program at the University of Missouri – Healthcare.
Miki Hirai, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, has been an active member of AIA San Francisco since 2007, formerly serving on the board of the Bay Area Young Architects committee and a dedicated participant of the AIA Mentorship program for over four years. She is currently serving as the ARE Committee Co-Chair in which she helped create new programs for the chapter, such as ARE Bootcamp Study Groups, ARE Pact, Ask an Expert Night, and ARE Trivia Challenges. As a Bootcamp participant and group leader, she is currently sitting for the ARE. Miki enjoys giving back to her community through architectural related organizations, such as the Inneract Project and
Rebuilding Together.
Tina Hovsepian, Assoc. AIA, a designer and social entrepreneur, graduated from the University of Southern California with her Bachelor of Architecture in 2009. She currently designs contemporary, sustainable, LEED-rated, homes in Santa Monica for Duvivier Architects. In 2007 she designed and built a prototype of a temporary shelter made of folded cardboard, Cardborigami. Hovsepian received the prize for Most Innovative at the 2009 USC Undergraduate Symposium for Creative Work. That was the first time an architecture student had won an award in this school-wide category. Currently, she has undertaken the ambitious task of starting a non-profit while pursuing her career in Architecture.
Jill Sornson Kurtz, Assoc. AIA, LEED BD+C, ID+C, is committed to providing architectural, planning, and sustainability services to those who traditionally could not afford them. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University and a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Union University, and has worked on projects in India, South Sudan, Uganda, Oman, and California. She is the founder and partner of reBuild Consulting in Northern California and serves as Board President for Rebuild Sudan. Sornson Kurtz aims to expand the role of designers and issues they can address through public interest design and is currently developing/teaching the first class on the topic at Kansas State. In 2005, she received the AIA Student Honor award and was an Emerging Professional Essay winner.
Andrew Mitchell, Assoc. AIA, received his Bachelor of Architecture from Ball State University. A former AIA Indiana Associate Director, he co-developed a template for Associate-focused content at local and regional conventions. An advocate for community-based-design, Mitchell was a member of a group of young professionals that created and sustained a dialogue that thoughtfully questioned local developments. Their engagement with the community empowered individuals to see their environment differently during a period of urban renewal. Andrew is an Associate at Morrison Kattman Menze, Inc.
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