The Architectural Foundation of Oregon recognized six Portland State students with its 2023 Hatfield and Tsagaglalal Scholarships and Honorarium awards.
Nancy Pelayo-Colores, Master of Architecture student, was named the 2023 Hatfield Scholar. Established in honor of the late Senator Mark O. Hatfield, the Hatfield Architectural Award recognizes an Oregon graduate or undergraduate architecture student for their design promise and community service, and comes with a $5,000 scholarship.
Nancy Pelayo-Colores received this scholarship in recognition of her work with underrepresented communities in the field of architecture. “I am devoted to working with underrepresented communities toward creating equitable architectural spaces,” Pelayo-Colores wrote upon receiving the award. She is the co-founder of NOMA PDX, a chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, which advocates for and seeks to uplift minority voices in architecture. She has also established a NOMA student chapter at PSU and led community engagement sessions that sought to ensure Latinx voices were heard in the designs for the M&M Marketplace, a cultural hub and market in Hillsboro.
The 2023 Tsagaglalal Scholarships were awarded to Athena Rilatos, Master of Architecture student, and Nanette Beyale, Architecture undergraduate. The Tsagaglalal Scholarship, created in honor of Native American artist Lillian Pitt, is a $10,000 renewable award for Native American, Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian Native non-graduating students pursuing a degree in Art or Architecture at PSU.
Athena Rilatos, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, received the 2023 Tsagaglalal Scholarship in recognition of her commitment to promoting indigenous voices in architecture. “As an Indigenous woman living in my homelands, I understand how important it is to be a voice in the room where our cities are being shaped,” she wrote. “And how important it is to change the narrative of who an architect is.”
Nanette Beyale, a Hooghan Łání (Many Hogans Clan) born for Tł’ááshchí’í (The Red Bottom People) in Nataani Nez, Diné Nation (Shiprock, New Mexico, Navajo Nation), received the 2023 Tsagaglalal Scholarship in recognition for their commitment to incorporating indigenous knowledge into the field of architecture. “I am committed to participating in this movement as an educated, informed professional who will work tirelessly to make the Earth greener, healthier, and full of Hózhó (holistic balance),” they wrote. Through their architectural studies, they aim to advocate for and address disparity in the Navajo Nation and seek to carry their Diné culture forward in their work.
Bryan Pontanilla, Architecture undergraduate; Ambarish Krsnadas, Architecture undergraduate; and Carter Silago, Art History and Business undergraduate, received 2023 Tsagaglalal Honorarium awards. The Honorarium Scholars were given a one-time award of $1,000 to celebrate the inaugural year of the Tsagaglalal Scholarship.
The Architectural Foundation of Oregon is a non-profit organization that works to promote architectural excellence. Their goal is to support and increase awareness of how architectural design impacts quality of life. In 2023 they awarded several scholarships to students they recognize for contributing diverse voices in the field of architecture.
Eligible architecture students are encouraged to apply for the 2024 AFO Hatfield, Hart, and Tsagaglalal Scholarships. A scholarship workshop will be held on February 19 at Carleton Hart Architecture, where students can learn more about the application process. The deadline to apply is February 25, 2024.
More information about the workshop and application process can be found on the Architectural Foundation of Oregon’s website.