Congratulations to our 2025-2026 Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients

The UVA School of Architecture is excited to announce our outstanding undergraduate scholars. These exceptional students were selected by their faculty and peers this academic year for specific criteria defined by each award, while each have demonstrated excellence in the pursuit of their undergraduate studies. 

We extend our congratulations to each for these well-deserved honors.

Image	Image
(Left) Benjamin Edlavitch at Charlottesville's LEGO-themed store, Bricks and Minifigs. Photo: UVA Communications; (Right) "Connective Rhythms" by Benjamin Edlavitch for the ARCH 4020 Urban Housing Design Studio in Barcelona, fall 2025. @ Benjamin Edlavitch

Blair Phillips Memorial Scholar
Benjamin Edlavitch (BSArch '26)

Benjamin Edlavitch (BSArch ’26) is this year's Blair Phillips Memorial Scholar. Established in honor of Blair Phillips (BSArch ’11), the scholarship recognizes a fourth-year architecture student who “collaborates effortlessly and synthesizes ideas across disciplines,” while bringing creativity, enthusiasm, and positive energy to the A‑School community.

Edlavitch exemplifies the Phillips legacy through intellectual curiosity, generosity, and a distinctive sense of play. As his nominator notes, "Edlavitch is a rare bridge builder within the school." A sabbatical to compete on LEGO Masters FOX season four alongside his grandfather placed him across two graduating cohorts at the School of Architecture, allowing him to form meaningful connections between students at different stages of the program. That experience positioned him as a connector, guided by his belief that making allows one to “take the world apart and put it back together in a way that makes it better.”

This capacity for community-building was especially evident in Edlavitch’s leadership as an outstanding Student Instructor Assistant discussion leader for Professor Peter Waldman's class Lessons of the Lawn. Faculty and peers credit him with fostering inclusive, energetic conversations grounded in rigor, curiosity, and joy. His collaborative spirit also extends beyond academics, including performing in a band, making dinners for friends and family, and leading workshops for youth and families that use LEGO as an approachable tool for creative problem-solving.

After graduation, Edlavitch will continue to merge design, play, and systems thinking as he manages his business, Benjamin Edlavitch Designs, and applies for a position as a LEGO designer in Denmark. Like Blair Phillips, Edlavitch is recognized as a joyful and brilliant citizen of the A‑School and the larger world.

Image	Image
Philippe Hempel (left), and his project model for an adaptive reuse and urban infill proposal for PEPCO Substation 25 in Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C., for ARCH 3010, taught by Luis Pancorbo. © Philippe Hempel

Bobby Newman Endowed Scholar
Philippe Hempel (BSArch '27)

Philippe Hempel has been named a Bobby Newman Endowed Scholar, a scholarship established by William G. and Ann Newman in 1973 in memory of their son, Robert Keith Newman. Hempel is recognized for his academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to sustainability rooted in community care.

Before transferring to the University of Virginia from a Texas community college, Hempel helped grow an environmental club to more than 160 members and co‑founded a nonprofit dedicated to restoring native grasslands, contributing to the sequestration of nearly 750 metric tons of carbon. These formative experiences shaped his belief that lasting sustainability emerges from shared responsibility rather than metrics alone.

At UVA, Hempel applies architectural thinking as a tool for understanding systems, human behavior, and long‑term stewardship. His work in architecture—paired with a minor in Global Sustainability—extends largely beyond the studio through student leadership and public service, including roles as Minister of Community Operations at the International Residential College, School of Architecture representative on Central Student Council, and member of former University President Jim Ryan’s Student Advisory Council. As a Bobby Newman Scholar, Hempel seeks to advance sustainability at UVA as a culture of care grounded in values, equity, and collective action.

Image	Image
(Left) A-School Student Council President Alan Watts addresses parents at UVA Family Weekend A-School Open House, fall 2025. Photo: Tom Daly (Right) "The Morven Outpost" by Alan Watts is an adaptive reuse project proposal that seeks to repurpose an old hay barn at UVA's Morven Sustainability Lab, for ARCH 3020, taught by Cam Fullmer. © Alan Watts

Bobby Newman Endowed Scholar
Alan Watts (BSArch '26)

Alan Watts brings a rare combination of academic distinction and student leadership to the Bobby Newman Endowed Scholarship. His work across architecture, sustainability, and the humanities reflects a sustained commitment to service, equity, and community within the UVA School of Architecture and the University at large.

A consistent member of the Dean’s List, Watts pursues a rigorous course of study spanning architecture, sustainability, and resilience, complemented by minors in Global Sustainability, Latin, and Entrepreneurship. His academic excellence has been recognized with the Anne Marye Owen Prize in Classics and through his selection as a Student Instructor Assistant for multiple architecture courses, including Empathic Design and Lessons of the Lawn.

As co‑founder and president of UVA’s chapter of Alpha Rho Chi, Watts helped establish a nationally recognized design fraternity serving more than 80 students across disciplines. He has also held multiple leadership roles in the A‑School Student Council, including Vice President and President, with initiatives focused on affordability, student well‑being, and faculty‑student engagement.

Beyond the school, Watts was selected as a Fellow of the Meriwether Lewis Institute for Citizen Leadership and as a Student Dialogue Fellow with the Karsh Institute of Democracy. His leadership and service to the University were further recognized through his selection as a fourth‑year Lawn resident. As a Bobby Newman Scholar, Watts continues to advance a vision of architecture grounded in service, responsibility, and community impact.

Image	Image
(Left) Samya Ahmed during Spring 2026 Final Reviews. Photo: Tom Daly (Right) Detail from "Banded Territories" a project by Ahmed and Marisa Yamamoto that explores how territory and urban form can forge relationships between landscape, architecture, and program, for ARCH 4010 / ALAR 8010, taught by Ila Berman and Mona El Khafif .

Clark Construction Scholar
Samya Ahmed (BSArch '26)

Samya Ahmed has been named a Clark Construction Scholar in recognition of her academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to community‑focused design. A transfer student who joined the UVA School of Architecture in Fall 2023 with a background in Architecture Technology, Ahmed has earned Dean’s List honors every semester while pursuing minors in Urban + Environmental Planning, Global Sustainability, and Landscape Architecture.

Within the A‑School, Ahmed has served as a representative on the Architecture Student Council and as a Program Lead for the 2025 Michael Owen Jones Lectureship Committee. She also co‑organized the 2025 Annual A‑School Iftar with support from Associate Dean of Community Engagement CL Bohannon. Her academic and professional development includes participation in the UVA in Madrid and UVA in Italy study abroad J-Term programs, as well as presenting research on urban tree canopy benefits at the 2025 Global Futures Symposium.

Ahmed’s design and planning work extends into the community through housing proposals presented to New Market, Virginia, participation in the 2025 AIA Virginia Design Competition, and a studio‑based adaptive reuse project converting a former JC Penney into a community sports center. In her final year, she served as a teaching assistant for ARCH 2010 while completing a thesis on marketplace and community resilience in Karachi. As a Clark Construction Scholar, Ahmed exemplifies the integration of technical skill, leadership, and inclusive design.

Image	Image
Maren Meinhold (left) and a detailed plan drawing from her project "Canopy Commons," a proposed public amphitheater for Charlottesville's Market Street Park, for ARCH 2010, taught by Katie Stranix. © Maren Meinhold

Clark Construction Scholar
Maren Meinhold (BSArch '27)

Maren Meinhold has been named a Clark Construction Scholar in recognition of her strong academic performance, leadership, and commitment to balancing design education with broader campus engagement. Meinhold has earned Dean’s List honors for four consecutive semesters while balancing course work for minors in Civil Engineering and Spanish.

Within the School of Architecture, Meinhold serves as Treasurer of the professional architecture fraternity Alpha Rho Chi and was selected by peers to serve as Social Media and Communications Chair for the American Institute of Architecture Students at UVA. Beyond the A‑School, she is an active docent at the Fralin Museum of Art, after completing a competitive selection and training process to lead tours for audiences ranging from children to adults.

Balancing coursework with employment, intramural sports, and sustained campus involvement, Meinhold exemplifies the academic discipline, leadership, and curiosity recognized by the Clark Construction Scholarship.

Image	Image
(Left) Jiajie Li presenting work at Fall 2025 final reviews. Photo: Tom Daly (Right) Model for "Supported Fragility" an adaptive reuse proposal for a flamenco research center at the University of Cádiz, for ARCH 4010 / ALAR 8010, taught by Inés Martín Robles. © Jiajie LI

Galsworthy Endowed Scholar
Jiajie Li (BSArch '26)

The Galsworthy Endowed Scholarship supports outstanding international undergraduate students in the School of Architecture. Li is this year's Galsworthy Scholar, in recognition for his design maturity, intellectual curiosity, and meaningful contributions to the school's academic and studio community. Since transferring to UVA, Li has distinguished himself through a rigorous and reflective approach to studio work and sustained engagement with the school’s collaborative studio culture.

Li’s academic experience is shaped by exposure to diverse design perspectives and by a thoughtful design philosophy centered on balance and negotiation—often described as a “middle way.” His work frequently explores the space between extremes, addressing tensions such as old and new, public and private, and collective and individual needs through architecture that remains open, adaptable, and humane. Across studios, Li has remained committed to developing an independent design voice while learning from peers and instructors alike.

Image	Image
Isabella Koch (photo: Tom Daly) and a section perspective of her project "The Waters: Library of Reflection." Developed in ARCH 3010 with instructor Isaac Mangual-Martínez, Koch's project is designed to be a hub for gathering, reflection, and education for residents of Washington D.C.'s Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. © Isabella Koch

Kyle Kauffman Scholar
Isabella Koch (BSArch '26)

The Kauffman Scholar Award, established by the Class of 1985 to honor their classmate Kyle Kauffman (BSArch ’85), recognizes a fourth‑year student whose dedication, compassion, and enthusiasm exemplify the spirit of architecture. This year’s Kauffman Scholar, Isabella Koch, embodies these qualities through her academic focus, leadership, and commitment to sustainable practice.

A fourth‑year architecture major, Koch complements her studies with minors in Civil Engineering and Global Sustainability, reflecting her interest in integrating design with project management and environmental responsibility. Within the School of Architecture, she has served as a Student Council Representative, Student Ambassador, Peer Mentor, and Treasurer of the American Institute of Architecture Students, contributing to mentorship and community building across the A‑School. Koch’s professional experience includes work with Clark Construction Group and a winter externship at Bonstra | Haresign Architects, where she gained hands‑on exposure to construction, coordination, and architectural documentation. 

Image	Image
Nicholas Kaperday (left) and drawings from his urban housing proposal for Richmond's Scott's Addition Historic District, which promotes a community-oriented approach to collective living, developed in ARCH 2020, with instructor Dhara Goradia. © Nicholas Kaperday

Rian Taylor Bachman Scholar
Nicholas Kaperday (BSArch '26)

Nicholas Kaperday has been named the Rian Taylor Bachman Scholar, an award recognizing a top‑performing undergraduate student in their fourth year at the University of Virginia School of Architecture. Kaperday is honored for his academic excellence and a design philosophy rooted in inclusivity, multiplicity, and human experience.

Shaped by a childhood spent moving between cultures, languages, and landscapes, Kaperday approaches architecture with the understanding that there is never a single way to live or belong. At UVA, he has developed an inclusive design approach that embraces difference and complexity rather than rigid solutions. Viewing architecture as a lasting form of agency, his work seeks to create open‑ended frameworks that allow spaces to adapt to diverse users and evolving needs.

Kaperday’s academic work explores architecture as a flexible system rather than a fixed object, drawing inspiration from precedents that prioritize user agency and long‑term adaptability. Through his studio projects, he investigates how restraint, openness, and intentional incompleteness can support both individual expression and collective resilience.

Image	Image
Marisa Yamamoto (left) and her exterior perspective drawing of the Indigenous education center "Three Season Pavilion," a research project led by Professor Phoebe Crisman and co-designed with the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe. © Marisa Yamamoto

Rian Taylor Bachman Scholar
Marisa Yamamoto (BSArch '26)

Rian Taylor Bachman Scholar Marisa Yamamoto is honored for her academic excellence and a design approach grounded in empathy, collaboration, and ethical responsibility.

Yamamoto’s understanding of inclusive design was shaped through her work as a research assistant to Professor Phoebe Crisman on an educational pavilion for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe in South Dakota. Engaging in design development, climate analysis, material research, and construction planning, she learned that true inclusion requires designing with communities rather than for them. These experiences reframed sustainability and inclusion as shared ethics rather than technical checklists.

Informed by lived experience in Singapore, Japan, the United States, and Poland, Yamamoto brings a global perspective to her architectural work, examining how buildings and cities can foster belonging, hold memory, and support equity. The Rian Taylor Bachman Scholar Award recognizes her intellectual rigor, humility, and commitment to architecture as a responsive, context‑driven practice.