DESIGN FIRM PARTNERS WITH FOUNDATION FOR SCHOLARSHIP

Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, a design firm specializing in the rehabilitation of building exteriors, has named the first recipient the Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship, which was established in collaboration with the Connecticut Architecture Foundation Inc. (CAF) to support students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups who are seeking degrees in architecture or engineering. Unique among CAF programs, the Hoffmann Scholarship offers not only tuition assistance, but also the opportunity for a paid internship at one of the firm”™s three offices. 

Reeja Shrestha, a second-year student pursuing a combined bachelor”™s and master”™s degree in architecture and design at Howard University, has been selected as the first recipient of the Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship. 

“As this is the first year of our scholarship program, we were amazed by the response,” said Alison Hoffmann, chair of the Hoffmann Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “We received dozens of applications from incredibly talented students who are academically accomplished despite facing social and economic challenges to their continuing education. Our aim with the Hoffmann Scholarship is to support emerging professionals who excel in architecture and engineering but encounter barriers to success driven by decades of inequity and systemic racism.” 

Shrestha grew up in Kathmandu Valley, the historic capital of Nepal. As an adolescent, she witnessed the catastrophic earthquake of 2015, which claimed thousands of lives and lay to waste significant cultural landmarks. She volunteered on Nepal”™s Restoration Team and observed first-hand the social, political and economic factors that impact historic restoration. “I want to study architecture because it is a powerful tool to sustain and promote cultures ”” which gives me a sense of identity and an irrefutable connection to my home,” Shrestha said. 

In addition to a $2,500 tuition scholarship, Shrestha has been offered a paid internship with Hoffmann, which she plans to pursue in summer 2024. 

“”¦Hoffmann is a specialized practice and we offer a unique perspective on the design and construction industry,” said Craig Hargrove, AIA, director of the firm”™s New York office, where Hoffmann plans to host the internship. “By embracing this opportunity, we become a part of the centuries-old tradition of passing knowledge to the next generation of architects, engineers and builders.” The Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship is open to applicants who are students entering or enrolled full time in an accredited architecture or civil or structural engineering program and full-time college or university students located in southern New England. 

To fund the scholarship, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers contributed $25,000 in the first year and employees donated several thousand dollars more. CAF also collected contributions from individual donors. 

Founded in 1977, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers specializes in the rehabilitation of building enclosures. 

The Connecticut Architecture Foundation was established by the Connecticut Chapter of The American Institute of Architects in 1978. The organization”™s mission is to raise the public awareness of and expectations for architecture and the built environment.