1. Tell us a little about your career trajectory since you graduated from UT.
After graduating with my master’s in Landscape Architecture in 2022, I started working full-time for Peter Walker and Partners (PWPLA) in Berkeley, CA. The previous summer, I had completed a 10-week internship with them and was extended a full-time position following my performance review before leaving. This opportunity gave me the freedom not to worry about finding a job, allowing me to focus an entire year on developing my creative process, master’s thesis project (a fully functioning 30’ floating houseboat in the face of impending climate change), and my social media influencing business, @RoamerBus.
2. Tell us a bit about your current firm and projects or type of work you are doing.
On my first day walking into Pete’s Berkeley studio, I was told the leadership had placed me on a team of only two others – Pete and David Walker (Pete’s son). I couldn’t believe my luck. Yes, I had spoken to Pete several times during the previous summer, but to walk up to his desk a year later and see the RoamerBus sticker I had given him still sitting next to his drafting supplies was the best confidence boost I could have asked for. I knew I was welcome, appreciated, and respected. For the next (nearly) two years, that never changed.
3. Are you licensed? If yes, when did you get licensed and do you have anything to say about that process?
Every day, I got to meet with and learn from Pete (still practicing at 91 years old), while sitting directly next to David and drawing from his 40+ years of experience designing Barangaroo in Sydney, the 9/11 Memorial in NYC, the Novartis Campus in Basel, and many other internationally recognized projects. During my time there, I worked on projects across the globe - Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong, Midtown Manhattan, and even California’s new State Capitol in Sacramento. I learned that beauty is in the details. I learned that the profession is defined by practice, not by theory. I learned that landscape architecture can be boiled down to the pursuit of a design craft.
4. How has your degree in landscape architecture helped you to achieve your goals?
My time in Berkeley was the most professionally impactful experience I’ve ever had, but it was cut short in 2024 when I chose to move back to Tennessee to get married. I found the Bay Area a difficult place to raise a family, being so far from both my immediate family and in-laws. Pete summed it up nicely in a letter he wrote me when I left, calling my time “short but sweet.”
Since all of the landscape projects I worked on were on structure (cities like New York are built on a continuous steel plate just a few feet below the sidewalks and directly above the subways), I felt it was a natural transition to move into architecture. I wanted to use my background in Interior Design and Landscape Architecture to inform the way I would lead future projects and guide clients toward better outcomes. After exploring what Nashville had to offer, I quickly decided to join the team at TMP in Franklin, working in their commercial studio. Their diverse portfolio, project typologies, and long-term vision made it clear that the principals’ goals aligned with my career trajectory, and I continue to be thankful they added me to their team.
In the spring of 2025, I studied for and passed all six AREs over the course of five weeks to earn my architecture licensure. Now that TMP has moved into one of Nashville’s premier developments at McEwen Northside in Cool Springs (our project with Boyle), I enjoy working closely with landscape consultants to ensure the buildings I help design are grounded in a context that brings meaning to the place. My degree in Landscape Architecture helped me achieve these goals by situating me alongside some of the world’s most notable designers (both internally and as a consultant), allowing me to glean insight from those who have shaped the profession over the last 90 years.
5. Do you have any advice for future landscape architecture students?
My advice for future landscape architecture students is to get out of your comfort zone while interning and pursue the best mentors while the stakes are still low. I had no connections at PWPLA. No one gave me an insider contact or slid my name to the top of a list. I thought my chances were essentially zero, but that didn’t stop me from being ready for an impromptu interview or from moving across the country when I was called up.
6. What do you wish other people knew about our MLA program/Landscape Architecture/SoLA?
I wish more people knew that the MLA program at UTK is not just a curriculum path, but a home base for developing your voice as a designer. This aspect is something that is far more important than simply earning high grades or scholarships. My personal passion project, the RoamerBus school bus–tiny house conversion, was the catalyst for my future in design. It wouldn’t have been possible without the FabLab resources, the advice and encouragement from faculty and staff (special shoutout to Brad Collett, Dustin Toothman, and Craig Gilliam for their mentorship), and scholarship opportunities that made school more enriching through a robust Graduate Assistant program.
7. What would you tell someone who is thinking about pursuing a career in landscape architecture?
If you’re considering a career in landscape architecture, know what you want to get out of it and why you believe it’s worth a lifetime of effort. Once you know that, believe that. Once you believe that, align yourself with a school, firm, or mentor who can support and inspire you to follow your own path. If you don’t care enough now, you never will. As Gale Fulton said in 2019: “Landscape Architecture is open to everyone, but not for everyone.”
8. Any fond memories of your time at UTK that you would like to share?
Some fond memories from my time at UTK include working with Brad Collett on the Tennessee RiverLine and leading groups of inner-city kids on their first float trips, traveling to Roane County for river clean-up days, and driving across the state on the River Tour - making friends who would become lifelong encouragers of doing good work the right way.
*As extra credit, one of my favorite landscape architecture experiences include picking up Martha Schwartz in my car and chatting with her as I drove her across San Francisco.