I am a Mexican American Landscape Architecture student at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design. I was born and raised in the Mission District, San Francisco, California, and I grew up taking note of my surroundings, and comparing it to the other spaces I spent time in. The Mission District is a primarily Latino neighborhood, although the demographics are quickly changing, and it has most recently been known for its gentrification. I always wondered why it was so different to the other neighborhoods, why it lacked in resources (albeit gleaming with culture), and this sparked a very early interest in urban spaces and design in me. I am interested in using Landscape Architecture as a form of social justice and a way to challenge the way society thinks and carries out it’s racist systems.

I most recently started two platforms that I hope do just that. Along with the support and help of my peers, I founded Landscope at Berkeley, a student organization at Cal dedicated to teaching high school students of color about Landscape Architecture and design through workshops. I also started Healing Space, with classmate Hannah Pae, a space for students of color to share their experiences in the landscape, profession, and Western culture, as a way of both healing and empowerment. To read more about these two very important projects, please visit my blog.

My website is a way of sharing my work and journey with you - welcome!

Awards:

2021 ASLA Honor Award

2021 Scott Traveling Fellowship