Congratulations to Melanie Taylor, 2020 recipient of the John Ellis Architectural Scholarship! Melanie is a Folsom High School graduate and now attending Drexel University. Her academic achievements include CREATE Team Leader & Scholarship Recipient and Cal Poly Architecture Career Workshop Merit Award.
When asked why she wants to become an architect, she replied:
My desire to creatively problem solve also led to my interest in a future career which combines my love for understanding the practical application of formulas to innovative thinking. Through architecture/civil engineering, I can design a building or structure that is artistically prolific but also incorporates the fundamentals of mathematics. During a short summer architecture program, I developed skills in using a mathematical mindset to create an inviting space using shade and shadow to spark curiosity in a consumer. By starting with abstractions, I developed skills in extruding planes to create a sense of space. My final project, a house in a canyon of the Swiss Alps, showcased the concepts that I had focused on throughout the program—shade, shadow, tension, lateral support, scale, craft, and many others—in addition to allowing me to use my mathematical and artistic side to dream up a structure that most never would have thought of.
Thank you to all of our donors who made this scholarship possible! To view a full list of the donors, visit: https://aiacv.org/john-ellis-architectural-scholarship/
If you’d like to make a contribution to the scholarship so we may continue to provide more in the future, please donate at https://ssl.charityweb.net/sacregcf/
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The AIA Central Valley/John Ellis Architectural Scholarship was established in 2018 by the American Institute of Architects, Central Valley Chapter, in recognition of Mr. Ellis’s significant service to the profession of architecture, through his support and involvement with the Chapter and as a professor of architecture at Cosumnes River College spanning 34 years. This scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to students pursuing a major in architecture.