Designing Their Futures:
Michigan Architectural Foundation Awards $32,500 in Scholarships

What is the future of the architectural profession? It is today’s stand-out architectural students, who excel academically and demonstrate a passion for the profession, as well as a commitment to design excellence, leadership, and community. They are the future architects that will continue to strengthen and move the profession and the world forward.

These were among the characteristics noted by the Michigan Architectural Foundation’s Scholarship Jury, when selecting MAF’s 2022 Scholarship winners. MAF recently awarded eleven scholarships totaling $32,500 to ten Michigan college and university architecture students.

MAF awards the scholarships annually to students who are completing a Bachelor’s Degree program and who have been accepted or currently enrolled in a professional 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.  Each scholarship defines specific judging criteria, including financial need.

MAF’s 2022 scholarship recipients (and their scholarships) are:

• Wud Aldulaimy, University of Michigan, John Banicki Scholarship

• Jo-Elisa Clarke, Andrews University, American Institute of Architects Scholarship

• Grace Clifford, University of Detroit Mercy, Leslie Tincknell Scholarship

• Grace Cooley, University of Detroit/Mercy, Daniel W. Toshach & AIA Saginaw Valley Chapter Scholarship

• Tamzid Jaigirdar, University of Detroit Mercy, HED Alvin Ernest Harley AIAS Graduate Scholarship 

• Hanen Mohammad, University of Detroit Mercy, AIA Michigan President’s Scholarship.

• Riley Montgomery, University of Michigan, Richard M. and Sidney K. Robinson Scholarship. The award is co-sponsored by the AIA Huron Valley Chapter.

• Sophie Pacelko, University of Michigan, Paul Stachowiak & Integrated Design Solutions Scholarship

• Hayden Prillwitz, Kendall College of Art and Design, Kenneth Neumann Design Scholarship. The award includes a summer internship at Neumann Smith Associates. In addition, she was awarded the AIA Mid-Michigan Scholarship.

• Areej Shahin, University of Michigan, Professional Concepts Insurance Agency (PCIA) Scholarship

MAF’s 2022 scholarship recipients were acknowledged at MAF’s third annual MAF Donor Recognition Event, held on April 28, 2022, at the offices of SmithGroup Detroit, in the historic Guardian Building.

“The scholarship jury was pleased by a strong uptick in the number of applicants in this year’s award cycle, as well as the quality of all of the applications,” said Tim Casai, FAIA, MAF Scholarship Committee chair and scholarship juror. “Each year, students are in need of scholarship support due to escalating cost of architectural education, and college in general. MAF is pleased to help support them in their architectural education, and we are grateful to the those who have contributed or helped raise scholarship funds to support deserving students.”

Casai is one of four MAF board members who comprised the scholarship jury, along with Les Tincknell, FAIA, Gene Hopkins, FAIA, and Jeff Hausman, FAIA. A separate jury consisting of Sid Robinson, AIA, Gene Hopkins, FAIA, Jan Culbertson, FAIA, Damian Farrell, FAIA, Theresa Angelini, AIA, and Tim Casai, FAIA 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.