LPA Awards 2025 Diversity in Design Scholarships

Five emerging designers from marginalized communities will receive financial support, mentorship and internship opportunities as they pursue degrees in the built environment.

LPA Design Studios has awarded five students renewable scholarships in the firm’s annual Diversity in Design Scholarship program, an initiative aimed at addressing systemic inequality in the design professions through financial support, mentorship and early career opportunities.

This year’s recipients — selected from high school seniors in California and Texas — will each receive $5,000 in support, renewable annually, along with mentorship from an LPA professional in their field of study and priority consideration for paid internships in one of the firm’s studios. With the 2025 awards, LPA has now invested $300,000 in support of 23 students since the program’s launch in 2020.

This year saw the graduation of the class of 2024 — the first class of LPA Scholars — including one designer who kicked off their professional career this spring in LPA’s San Antonio studio.

This marks the first year the scholarship was awarded to a landscape architecture student, expanding the ranks of architecture, engineering and interior design students to include every core discipline on the integrated LPA team.

“If our scholars learn one thing, it’s that diverse, collaborative project teams can solve problems no individual can,” says Natalie Zweig, Associate and co-chair of LPA for Change. “That’s how we cut carbon on every project, regardless of budget or scale — and now the program now fully reflects that.”

2025 Scholarship Recipients

Lana Cederlof

Chowchilla, California | University High School, Fresno

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — Landscape Architecture

Cederlof grew up in a small farming town with limited educational opportunities and chose to commute nearly an hour each way to attend a charter high school with a stronger academic program. Despite long days and the need to work part-time jobs to help cover expenses, she excelled in music, student leadership and STEM activities, while developing a passion for sustainable design. At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she plans to study landscape architecture with minors in construction management and sustainable environments, with the goal of leading integrated, design-build projects that connect people and nature.

Sophia Esparza

Garland, Texas | Naaman Forest High School

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa — Architecture

Esparza, a first-generation college student, balanced academics with part-time work to help support her family while also excelling in varsity drill team (National Grand Champions, 2024) and varsity band. Throughout high school, she managed the demands of a college-level program spanning three schools to graduate in the top 10% of her class. She plans to study architecture at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she will focus on sustainable, eco-friendly design that honors culture and climate.

Nobuhisa Ishiguro

San Jose, California | Leland High School

Carnegie Mellon University — Architecture

Ishiguro discovered his passion for architecture as a child in Japan, when he first encountered the symmetry and harmony of the Byōdō-in Temple in Kyoto. His journey navigating between Japanese and American cultures has shaped his perspective and inspired him to design inclusive spaces that foster cultural exchange. A state-level competitor in wrestling and a tutor in math and Japanese, Ishiguro will pursue architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, where he hopes to deepen his explorations of symmetry, harmony and spirituality in the connections between people and place.

Carolina Loera

Corona, California | Santiago High School

Cal Poly Pomona — Architecture

Loera is a first-generation college student who discovered her passion for architecture in high school, excelling in programs such as ACE Mentors and SkillsUSA, where she twice placed in the top three in California’s statewide architectural design competition. She plans to pursue architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, with a long-term goal of designing affordable, resilient housing in rural Mexico, starting in her mother’s hometown of Temastian.

Shawn Ray

Cypress, Texas | Bridgeland High School

Carnegie Mellon University — Architecture

Ray graduated first in a class of 941 students, balancing rigorous academics with caregiving responsibilities for his younger cousins after his aunt lost her job. A nationally recognized competitor in coding and business competitions, he also co-founded a nonprofit to support students who stutter and developed sustainability projects for his high school campus. At Carnegie Mellon, Ray will study Building Science and Sustainable Systems, with plans to focus on passive design strategies and bio-based materials.

About the LPA Diversity in Design Scholarship

The LPA Diversity in Design Scholarship was established in 2020 by LPA for Change, the firm’s social impact initiative, to address the persistent lack of diversity in the design professions. To date, the program has distributed $220,000 to 23 students pursuing degrees in architecture, engineering and related fields.

The program provides more than financial support. Each student is paired with a mentor in their field of study, often the first professional connection in their chosen career. Recipients also receive priority consideration for internships in LPA studios, where they work alongside integrated design teams on real projects and gain an education in sustainable design that goes beyond university coursework.

The program is independently administered by Scholarship America, which ensures fairness in the selection process through a team of trained evaluators, verified information and strict standards to prevent discrimination.