Class of 2020 | Architecture

2020 Dean's Award |  HUNG "RYAN" V. NGUYEN

Hung Nguyen , also known as Ryan, might have a humble demeanor, but he has an outstanding academic record reflecting his remarkable design talent, intelligence, and commitment to architecture. Ryan, who is originally from Vietnam, has excelled as a student in Cal Poly Pomona’s Bachelor of Architecture program. His studies included participation in the Department’s exchange program at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He represented Cal Poly Pomona in the 2x8 AIA LA competition, where he competed with students from all the architecture programs in California, receiving first place along with a $5,000 scholarship. He has also been selected by studio faculty to exhibit his design work in practically all of CPP ARC’s “Interim” exhibitions. The Department of Architecture faculty congratulates Ryan on his outstanding academic performance. Undoubtedly, Ryan will continue to excel and attain recognition from the architectural professional, which, in turn, honors the Architecture program at Cal Poly Pomona.

2020 President's Scholar

Recipient:  Juveriyah Salat

About:  Cal Poly Pomona recognizes exceptional student achievement through the prestigious President’s Scholars program. Established in 1983, more than 500 scholarships have been awarded to graduate and undergraduate students from the university’s eight academic colleges. Twenty-five students are recognized annually based on the following merits:

• GPA of 3.5 or above
• Academic and co-curricular excellence
• Personal Interviews
• Letters of recommendations
• Application essay

CPP/ARC Design Awards

Announced at the end of the year at the annual Bauhaus Banquet, department faculty recognize the talent, creativity and projects of undergraduate and graduate students. This section excerpts honorees in the 2020 graduating class.

M.Arch - 2nd Year
Andrew Apodaca

B.Arch - 5th Year Senior Projects
Christopher Manzano
Maryam Tork
Gabriela Frank
Oscar Gonzalez
Athenna Lim

Graduate Neutra Thesis Prize
Jose Leon

Tau Sigma Delta Bronze Medal for Outstanding Graduate
Jesus Murillo

Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Medal, Service Award
Juveriyah Salat

Henry Adams Medal and Certificate - B.Arch (Julian McPhee Award)
Lenore Roberts

Henry Adams Medal and Certificate - M.Arch
Emily Band

CPP ARC Profile | JOSE LEON

Jose Manuel Leon is a third-year M.Arch student. His peer engagement, strong work ethic and moral compass have been evident in his three short years of the CPPARC MArch program. Jose grew up in the Florence and Firestone district of LA, an under-served community, with a history of segregation, environmental injustice, food deserts, police brutality, and gang violence. In his final project, Jose chose to take his community’s problems to task, reorganizing rail-adjacent Roosevelt park with a new programmed bridge design that spans the LA industrial rail corridor. His bridge connects Florence-Firestone at a blue-line rail station with an optimism for the district's future. Jose says, “(o)ne of the biggest influences in my educational and professional career has been the need to voice my community's concerns. My approach to design is to put forward ideas that incorporate old and new strategies, which improve the quality of life.” — Department of Architecture.

CPP ARC Profile | BRITTNEY JONES

Who is awesome?

Brittney Jones is Awesome!  As a professor for the past 35 years there has been many times that friends or family have asked to have me consider paying attention to their child or friend who has been admitted to the Department of Architecture.  In this case Brittany was the high school friend of my daughter. A situation like this is often tricky as you know the individual as a friend of your child but you never know how well they would do and if it would be awkward to see the student let along be in the position of having to grade your child’s friend.  Brittany is Awesome because she not only lived up to being a great friend to my daughter despite being on opposite sides of the country but Brittany showed herself to be a fantastic design and all around student.  She has become a friend of mine that is more than just my daughters friend but has shown herself and grown to be a compassionate, caring and contentious professional and outstanding person.

Just when we often feel that the future is not bright … I think about how wonderful students like Brittney have been and also taught me something about my daughter’s judgement in having such a great person as a friend.  Brittany you are loved by your classmates and our family.  You are AWESOME!  —Professor Kip Dickson (and my most important title …..Kennedy’s dad.)

CPP ARC Profile | SIDNEY ORTEGA

Sidney Ortega is awesome. This is evidenced by her incredible work ethic, dedication to architecture, and an unmatched eagerness to learn. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Van Nuys, she is the daughter of immigrants from Guatemala and El Salvador and the first in her family to attend college. During her time at Cal Poly Pomona, she was a member of the Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society and the AIAS, served as a three-time teaching assistant, and worked as summer intern at SATO Architects, all while producing exceptional work in her studios. Sidney stands out for her willingness to experiment and to take risks, continuously searching to evolve her design without always knowing the end result. She does the hard work, shows up on time, and makes do with whatever circumstance she is presented with. For her Senior Project, she explored the potential of the column as a space making devise and proposed a library in the Toy District that opens itself to the community while respecting the intimate scale and liveliness of the surrounding “callejones”. This summer, Sidney will begin her Graduate studies in the M.S.AUD program at UCLA, where she continues her journey into the exciting unknowns of architecture. —Department of Architecture.

CPP ARC Profile | VY NGUYEN

Vy Nguyen has tremendous will and fortitude. Her family instilled a work ethic and concern for people she uses in her work and will deploy as an architect. She entered the CPPARC MArch program three years ago on a mission to prove her dream of becoming an architect was not at odds with her family’s value placed in a life helping others. In her final project, Vy combined a youthful inclination towards a medical career, with newfound ideas about healthcare design, and and her awesome set of skills. Vy’s comprehensive wellness center, wove park and institution together to provide the El Monte community with both healthy living activities and local urgent medical care. Her project sits at the intersection of industrial and residential land uses, the intersection of colliding city grids, and the desire for healthcare that both prevents illness and cares for people. Vy works like there is no tomorrow, she is talented, skillful and awesome. — Department of Architecture.

CPP ARC Profile | KAREN VENEGAS

When Karen Venegas was growing up university wasn't in the picture. Her parents are both immigrants from Mexico and worked very hard to make a home in Los Angeles. She says everything changed when they found out about FAFSA (Federal Student Aid). Her parents did everything they could to make college a reality for Karen, even attending classes to learn how the college system worked and understanding what help they could receive. Every summer Karen worked 7 days a week 12-15 hour shifts to earn the additional money she needed to pay for school. Her high school counselor recommended she choose a different major, given how hard it was to get into architecture school, but she persisted. She was the first in her family to attend college, including siblings and cousins. She is proud to report that there are now four others in her family attending college. Karen has done an outstanding job at Cal Poly Pomona. Excelling in all her classes, especially in studio. Her 5th year Senior Project addressed the need to create housing developments for working class families like hers that include light industrial work space, community amenities such as play areas for children, community study rooms and laundry facilities, with 100% affordable development above. Her researched for this project involved documenting her father's refurbishment of a pick-up truck over the period of a  month. This is a side job for her father and to do this work he had to borrow back yards, do the work on public streets, and borrow other spaces. This careful documentation led Karen to produce one of the most highly original and thoughtful projects in the 5th year class. — Department of Architecture.

CPP ARC Profile | LUISA SALAZAR

Luisa Salazar has blossomed over the three short years of the CPPARC MArch program. She arrived in the US in 2014 for a new life, surrounded by a new country and language.” In her final project, Luisa leveraged her love of the arts, and newfound skills, to design a community cultural arts and sports complex. Her thoughtful and lovely design of a park with an art and music school was used to reorganize of a hodgepodge of existing community functions and a sports facility. The result is a coherent civic hub in the Playa de Tijuana neighborhood within walking distance of the the US-Mexico border and International Friendship Park. Luisa has marshalled through this spring and never lost sight of her goals and optimism for her former home. —Department of Architecture.