Designing Their Futures:
MAF Awards $44,000 in Scholarships

Outstanding academic records; wide-ranging design impact; promising leadership and management skills; innovative portfolios; passion for the profession; and strong commitment to integrated practice and community involvement.

These were among the comments noted by the Michigan Architectural Foundation’s Scholarship Jury when selecting MAF’s 2024 Scholarship winners. MAF recently awarded scholarships totaling $44,000 to twelve Michigan college and university architecture students.

The 2024 scholarship recipients were acknowledged at a ceremony held at the offices of Albert Kahn Associates located in Detroit’s Fisher Building. This year, the number of scholarship applications more than doubled from 2023, with 51 total applications.

MAF awards scholarships annually to students completing a Bachelor’s Degree program and who have been accepted or are currently enrolled in an academic program leading to a Master of Architecture degree. One scholarship, the Richard M. and Sydney K. Robinson Scholarship, is awarded annually to a student at the University of Michigan completing their first year of architecture studies. Additionally, AIA Grand Rapids provides scholarships for both graduate and undergraduate architecture students.

Each scholarship defines specific judging criteria, including financial need.

MAF’s 2024 scholarship recipients (and their scholarships) are:

• Malak Atwi, University of Michigan, Richard M. and Sidney K. Robinson Scholarship.
• Jacob Brookhouse, University of Michigan, Paul Stachowiak & Integrated Design Solutions Scholarship
• Aaron Comstock, University of Michigan, HED Alvin Ernest Harley AIAS Graduate Scholarship
• Sofia D’Arienzo, University of Detroit Mercy, Kenneth Neumann Design Scholarship. The award includes a summer internship at Neumann Smith Associates.
• Natalie Denbesten, Kendall College of Art and Design, AIA Grand Rapids Graduate Scholarship
• Cory Hoffman, University of Michigan, Daniel W. Toshach & AIA Saginaw Valley Chapter Scholarship
• Zariah Hernadez, University of Michigan, The Bob Powell Scholarship (a one-time scholarship)
• Jacob Lampi, University of Detroit Mercy, Leslie Tincknell Scholarship
• Lauren Moon, Lawrence Technological University, Katherine and John Banicki Scholarship
• Riley Montgomery, University of Michigan, Professional Concepts Insurance Agency (PCIA) Scholarship
• Ashlynn Tower, University of Michigan, AIA Grand Rapids Undergraduate Scholarship
• Asia Williams, University of Detroit Mercy, AIA Michigan President’s Scholarship

 

As in past years, each student applicant is required to submit a completed application form, a full college transcript, a personal statement describing leadership, design, and community accomplishments and activities, a copy of the student’s design portfolio submitted to their graduate admissions program, two letters of reference, and a school cost and personal financial budget. The jury must consider all information but has discretion regarding the weight of the information categories, and thereby, selection for any particular award.

This year the MAF Scholarship Jury consisted of three members of the MAF Board: Tim Casai, FAIAE, Todd Drouillard, AIA and Jeff Hausman, FAIA (Casai and Hausman are co-chairs of the MAF Scholarship committee). Other jury members were Joel Smith, AIA; Ross Kaplan; Paul Stachowiak, AIA; Katherine Banicki, FESD; Wes Kohn, AIA; Michael Cooper, PE; Jennifer Brent; Tom Reay, AIAE; and Anne Doornbos, AIA.

A separate jury consisting of Sidney Robinson, AIA, Gene Hopkins, FAIA, Jan Culbertson, FAIA, and Tim Casai, FAIAE reviewed the Robinson Scholarship applications this year.

MAF’s scholarship program began in 2001, with one scholarship. Since then, MAF scholarship awards have grown and been underwritten due to the generosity of MAF donors, and through the considerable time and efforts MAF board members dedicate to numerous fundraising activities to support the program, including MAF’s annual ‘Fore a Great Cause’ Golf Outing.

For more information on MAF’s Scholarship program, click here.  Want to help support the academic goals of Michigan’s architecture students? Click here to donate to MAF’s scholarship program.