{"id":27176,"date":"2021-11-29T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/2021\/11\/29\/bringing-new-voices-to-the-college-of-design\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T17:21:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T21:21:51","slug":"bringing-new-voices-to-the-college-of-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/2021\/11\/29\/bringing-new-voices-to-the-college-of-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing New Voices to the College of Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Rodney Swink and Juanita Shearer-Swink both have a passion for landscape architecture. Their desires to bring together communities to foster a sense of place were both formed through their respective educations at NC State\u2019s College of Design and the University of Florida. Both fellows in the American Society of Landscape Architects, their passion for providing design for all, especially design education for all, led them to create a scholarship endowment for the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Department.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rodney puts it simply: \u201cWe\u2019re choosing to do things that we think can make the community a better place.\u201d His experiences under Randy Hester and what he refers to as \u2018populist design\u2019 shaped his career. He chose to work with communities and the public to understand those that didn\u2019t always have a voice. \u201cRandy designed for people &#8212; particularly people who didn\u2019t have a voice. He showed me how to engage them as part of the conversation\u201d he adds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rodney and Juanita Swink: The Impact of Scholarships\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/652TvXubX6k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Rodney and Juanita talk about the impact of diversity in the profession.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Juanita\u2019s experience in both the public and private sectors and in public transportation allowed her to work with many people from different neighborhoods and communities and learn about the opportunities that public transit could provide for them and their families. She learned that the best neighborhood land use and transit solutions arise by asking community members about their hopes and needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her own experiences growing up in the Caribbean and attending school in Florida solidified the importance of a diversity of perspectives in the classroom. \u201cSome students were from Florida, some were from out of state, some were Veterans of the Vietnam War, but they all brought a really different set of experiences than what I had growing up. You\u2019re looking at people who have shared values with you, but they\u2019re coming from a very different place. And that\u2019s really interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Make a gift<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/go.ncsu.edu\/designgivingtuesday\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/go.ncsu.edu\/designgivingtuesday\"><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Join Rodney and Juanita for Giving   Tuesday<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">Rodney and Juanita have made a $10,000 lead gift commitment to increase their award endowment and hope that you will contribute in a way that is meaningful to you. Their contributions are part of the diversity, equity and inclusion focus for Giving Tuesday at NC State.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\">Make a <span class=\"nowrap\">contribution\u00a0<span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n\n\n<p>The importance of differing perspectives in design was a huge factor as Rodney and Juanita formed their scholarship, which focuses on attracting diverse candidates to the profession.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCultural diversity, age diversity, gender perspective &#8212; all of those things enrich our opportunities, and will continue to make our profession stronger and stronger\u201d she adds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Rodney and Juanita felt that their ability to contribute to a scholarship was small, they didn\u2019t let that deter them from moving forward. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be the only person writing a check for a scholarship,\u201d Juanita says. \u201cEverything builds to broader opportunities. When students have the opportunity to have some financial assistance, they have the opportunity for a little better work-study-life balance, which is going to allow them to spend some time fostering those creative ideas, as opposed to worrying about how they&#8217;re going to pay their electrical bill. And it gets down to those very basic things. So this is, you know, a hand to move forward. And that&#8217;s what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt all adds up\u201d pipes in Rodney. \u201cWe can do some, and we will of course continue to do that. But the need is greater. We just need more people to say: \u2018let me do <em>something<\/em>.\u2019 NC State was a great opportunity for us to do something that said \u2018we believe in this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Juanita continues to work with ASLA as a fellow and serves on the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB). \u201cWe have effectively rewritten the standards for programs throughout the country, to engage in a much broader perspective and to begin to really celebrate the cultural experiences that have shaped the world and the places that we hope these young practitioners will go to. And in turn, we&#8217;re hoping that this more enriched program attracts a broader cross-section of young people who can bring that enriched context of coming from different places with different ideas to our profession\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-related-stories\"><h2 class=\"related-stories__label\">Related<\/h2><div class=\"ncst-component__related-stories-container\"><a \n      href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2016\/01\/22\/swink-la-endowement\/\"\n      class=\"ncst-component__bold-link text-link\"\n                >\n    <span class=\"text\">Making the Future Brighter<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n    <\/a>\n  \n\n<a \n      href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2017\/06\/13\/landscape-architecture-grads-participate-in-diversity-summit\/\"\n      class=\"ncst-component__bold-link text-link\"\n                >\n    <span class=\"text\">Landscape Architecture Grads Participate in Diversity Summit<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n<p><em>This post was <a href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2021\/11\/29\/bringing-new-voices-to-the-college-of-design\/\">originally published<\/a> in College of Design Blog.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-post-header \/-->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Rodney Swink and Juanita Shearer-Swink both have a passion for landscape architecture. Their desires to bring together communities to foster a sense of place were both formed through their respective educations at NC State\u2019s College of Design and the University of Florida. Both fellows in the American Society of Landscape Architects, their passion for providing design for all, especially design education for all, led them to create a scholarship endowment for the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Department.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Rodney puts it simply: \u201cWe\u2019re choosing to do things that we think can make the community a better place.\u201d His experiences under Randy Hester and what he refers to as \u2018populist design\u2019 shaped his career. He chose to work with communities and the public to understand those that didn\u2019t always have a voice. \u201cRandy designed for people -- particularly people who didn\u2019t have a voice. He showed me how to engage them as part of the conversation\u201d he adds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:embed {\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=652TvXubX6k\",\"type\":\"video\",\"providerNameSlug\":\"youtube\",\"responsive\":true,\"className\":\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=652TvXubX6k\n<\/div><figcaption>Rodney and Juanita talk about the impact of diversity in the profession.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:embed -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Juanita\u2019s experience in both the public and private sectors and in public transportation allowed her to work with many people from different neighborhoods and communities and learn about the opportunities that public transit could provide for them and their families. She learned that the best neighborhood land use and transit solutions arise by asking community members about their hopes and needs. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Her own experiences growing up in the Caribbean and attending school in Florida solidified the importance of a diversity of perspectives in the classroom. \u201cSome students were from Florida, some were from out of state, some were Veterans of the Vietnam War, but they all brought a really different set of experiences than what I had growing up. You\u2019re looking at people who have shared values with you, but they\u2019re coming from a very different place. And that\u2019s really interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/highlight {\"teaser\":\"Rodney and Juanita have made a $10,000 lead gift commitment to increase their award endowment and hope that you will contribute in a way that is meaningful to you. Their contributions are part of the diversity, equity and inclusion focus for Giving Tuesday at NC State.\",\"callToAction\":\"Make a contribution\"} -->\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Make a gift<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/go.ncsu.edu\/designgivingtuesday\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/go.ncsu.edu\/designgivingtuesday\"><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Join Rodney and Juanita for Giving   Tuesday<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">Rodney and Juanita have made a $10,000 lead gift commitment to increase their award endowment and hope that you will contribute in a way that is meaningful to you. Their contributions are part of the diversity, equity and inclusion focus for Giving Tuesday at NC State.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\">Make a <span class=\"nowrap\">contribution\u00a0<span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/highlight -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The importance of differing perspectives in design was a huge factor as Rodney and Juanita formed their scholarship, which focuses on attracting diverse candidates to the profession.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cCultural diversity, age diversity, gender perspective -- all of those things enrich our opportunities, and will continue to make our profession stronger and stronger\u201d she adds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>While Rodney and Juanita felt that their ability to contribute to a scholarship was small, they didn\u2019t let that deter them from moving forward. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be the only person writing a check for a scholarship,\u201d Juanita says. \u201cEverything builds to broader opportunities. When students have the opportunity to have some financial assistance, they have the opportunity for a little better work-study-life balance, which is going to allow them to spend some time fostering those creative ideas, as opposed to worrying about how they're going to pay their electrical bill. And it gets down to those very basic things. So this is, you know, a hand to move forward. And that's what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cIt all adds up\u201d pipes in Rodney. \u201cWe can do some, and we will of course continue to do that. But the need is greater. We just need more people to say: \u2018let me do <em>something<\/em>.\u2019 NC State was a great opportunity for us to do something that said \u2018we believe in this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Today, Juanita continues to work with ASLA as a fellow and serves on the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB). \u201cWe have effectively rewritten the standards for programs throughout the country, to engage in a much broader perspective and to begin to really celebrate the cultural experiences that have shaped the world and the places that we hope these young practitioners will go to. And in turn, we're hoping that this more enriched program attracts a broader cross-section of young people who can bring that enriched context of coming from different places with different ideas to our profession\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/related-stories -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-related-stories\"><h2 class=\"related-stories__label\">Related<\/h2><div class=\"ncst-component__related-stories-container\"><!-- wp:ncst\/bold-link {\"url\":\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2016\/01\/22\/swink-la-endowement\/\",\"text\":\"Making the Future Brighter\"} -->\n<a href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2016\/01\/22\/swink-la-endowement\/\" class=\"ncst-component__bold-link wp-block-ncst-bold-link\" data-ua-cat=\"Bold Link Block\" data-ua-action=\"Bold Link Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2016\/01\/22\/swink-la-endowement\/\">Making the Future <span class=\"nowrap\">Brighter\u00a0<span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/a>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/bold-link -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/bold-link {\"url\":\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2017\/06\/13\/landscape-architecture-grads-participate-in-diversity-summit\/\",\"text\":\"Landscape Architecture Grads Participate in Diversity Summit\"} -->\n<a href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2017\/06\/13\/landscape-architecture-grads-participate-in-diversity-summit\/\" class=\"ncst-component__bold-link wp-block-ncst-bold-link\" data-ua-cat=\"Bold Link Block\" data-ua-action=\"Bold Link Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2017\/06\/13\/landscape-architecture-grads-participate-in-diversity-summit\/\">Landscape Architecture Grads Participate in Diversity <span class=\"nowrap\">Summit\u00a0<span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/a>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/bold-link --><\/div><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/related-stories -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The importance of differing perspectives in design was a major consideration for both Rodney and his wife, Juanita Shearer-Swink, when they established their graduate award in 2016. To design effectively for communities, both felt it was important to bring a diverse set of professionals to the table. And that process begins with bringing diverse student perspectives to the College of Design.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":27177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-27176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-280"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27176"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28274,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27176\/revisions\/28274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}