Diversifying the urban design profession

With a goal of supporting diversity-based funding, the University of North Carolina established the Stantec Diversity Scholarship in Practice. What are Scholarships in Practice? They are combined scholarship/internship programs created to partner with local organizations, offering annual student awards of $5,000 for three years and a $10,000 paid internship. We’re very proud to be one of these organizations.

The Stantec scholarship focuses on diversity. Why? Because diversity strengthens our universities, our Company, and the communities we live and work in. The Stantec Diversity Scholarship will help support students enrolled in the School of Architecture (SoA) Urban Design program. The mission of this program is to provide intellectual, ethical, and innovative leadership in architecture and urban design through teaching, scholarly research, creative practice, and community activism. The SoA is recognized for the excellence in both the faulty and students.

Over the course of the fellowship, interns contribute their skills and perspectives to the Charlotte, North Carolina Stantec office, which adds insight to key local projects. The most recent recipient of this funding is Charles Trowell, Masters Candidate for UNC.

Charles is currently interning at the Charlotte, North Carolina Stantec office in urban design. “People from my background don’t often get the same opportunities as others,” Charles says, “I think the scholarship shows that Stantec values bringing diversity of people and experiences to the team.” Charles believes the urban design discipline is growing at a rapid pace and nurturing the next generation of diverse designers is essential for our changing cities.

“The internship has really helped me pair what I’m learning academically with practice in my field of work,” Charles says, “School set up the foundation, but learning doesn’t stop once we cross the graduation stage. I’m thankful for being recognized for my talents and be given the opportunity to be exposed to such great work.” Working with Stantec over the past year has given Charles the opportunity not only to connect with some great industry leaders within the company, but it gives him exposure on a wide range of project types and sizes. We are proud to champion diversity and promote the importance of post-secondary education.