2024 Recipient of the Kelly J. Edwards Architecture Scholarship
Author
Vanita Carrillo-Rush
Scott Edwards Architecture is marking the fifth year of our Kelly J. Edwards Architecture Scholarship program and we are happy to announce the 2024 recipient, Fernanda Gonzalez Huerta. Named for SEA co-founder Kelly J. Edwards, this scholarship honors his legacy as a talented and dedicated architect and mentor to young designers. The annual scholarship was launched in partnership with ACE Mentor Program of Oregon, an after-school program that helps high school students explore architecture, construction management, and engineering careers. It awards $5,000 to a student pursuing a college degree in Architecture, and the recipient then joins our firm for a summer internship.
Fernanda is starting her sophomore year at the University of Oregon and is pursuing an architecture degree with minors in sociology, art history, and potentially business administration, all disciplines that she believes will inform how she practices design. Before college, Fernanda attended high school in Portland and participated in the ACE Mentor Program of Oregon, a decision that introduced her to the industry and the opportunities it presents. As part of that program, she joined SEA for a two-week summer internship while she was still in high school.
I knew I wanted to help people and somehow incorporate this into my career, doing something good with my energy.
Her interest in elements that comprise architecture—community building, placemaking—began much earlier than high school. Fernanda shares “I knew I wanted to help people and somehow incorporate this into my career, doing something good with my energy.” She references where she grew up in Mexico helping inspire this perspective. “Before I moved to the United States when I was 10, I lived in a neighborhood in Mexico that encouraged community. Everyone knew their neighbors, and in the middle of the neighborhood was a communal clubhouse that brought people together.” This core experience still resonates with her today, and she plans to use architecture to build stronger communities that improve and enrich lives.
Fernanda is also inspired by the work of others, from the buildings she sees as she walks around Portland and Eugene, to renowned architect Antoni Gaudí’s famous structures in Spain. It was during a trip to Barcelona that she visited Gaudí’s La Sagrada Família and was stunned by the architect’s use of light as part of the building, and how incorporating features like stained glass windows changes how the entire space is experienced. This revelation and the artistry of Gaudí’s work demonstrated to her the impact design can have. She also garnered an understanding of contextualization, and how a design for a Catalan church in Barcelona does not necessarily translate to a creative office building in Northwest Portland—how design responds to the place it inhabits matters.
I want to design places that inspire people to put down their phone,” she says, “and I’m motivated to create spaces that make people feel comfortable coming together to socialize.
When she envisions her career, she sees herself designing a range of typologies. She names community centers, recreation centers, and schools, as being of particular interest, and described that she sometimes worries about her generation and the isolation brought on by mental health challenges and technology. “I want to design places that inspire people to put down their phone,” she says, “and I’m motivated to create spaces that make people feel comfortable coming together to socialize.” Part of this comfort, in Fernanda’s opinion, is designing with people’s patterns and preferences in mind, ensuring spaces are easy to navigate, engaging, and of their place.
We asked Fernanda what receiving this scholarship meant to her, and she shared how much it means to have people believe and invest in her success, and how motivating it is to be supported in this way. Speaking for SEA, we are thrilled to contribute to Fernanda’s growth and look forward to welcoming her to our office when she begins her internship next summer.
Last year’s Kelly J. Edwards Architecture Scholarship recipient, Andrew Gorecki, has now completed his internship and is starting his next year of school. We asked Andrew about his experience interning at SEA, and he described how valuable it was to spend time with each of SEA’s four homerooms: Community, Wellness, Residential, and Commercial. He enjoyed site visits and learned a tremendous amount about how a building is actually built and how to design for constructability. Andrew also described how the lively office culture at SEA and the variety of project types got him excited about his choice to pursue architecture and what it will look like for him as he grows in his career.
Congratulations, Fernanda, and thank you for joining us this summer, Andrew!
