2020 Modernism Week Scholarship Program

Four local students were awarded scholarships from Modernism Week and OneFuture Coachella Valley.

Each year, Modernism Week is proud to support our local community and fulfill our mission of celebrating and fostering appreciation of midcentury architecture and design — as well as contemporary thinking in these fields — through the Modernism Week Scholarship Program.

Since the Modernism Week Scholarship Program was initiated in 2011, nearly $200,000 in scholarships has been awarded to students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design. Modernism Week offers renewable scholarship funding for the students for 4 consecutive years.

“We are proud to partner with OneFuture Coachella Valley in awarding scholarships to this year’s talented students,” said Modernism Week Executive Director Lisa Vossler Smith. “Each of the 2020 scholarship recipients inspires us with their desire to contribute their skills and professional experience to the community. We are excited and hopeful for the next generation of architects, designers, and creatives shaping the Palm Springs of tomorrow.”

In 2020, Modernism Week and OneFuture Coachella Valley partnered together to award the following students with scholarships:

  1. Amparo Medina, attending her 3rd year at Cal Poly Pomona and majoring in Civil & Environmental Engineering.
  2. Karen Meza-Morales, attending her 3rd year at Cal Poly Pomona and majoring in Architecture
  3. Ignacio Moreno, attending his 3rd year at Cal Poly Pomona and majoring in Landscape Architecture and Plant Science.
  4. Jorjele Quintero-Meraz, attending her 2nd year at California Bapist University and majoring in Environmental Science and Engineering.

“There would be no Modernism Week if it were not for preservation and efforts to educate the public and future generations about the value of architecturally significant buildings,” says Regina Basterrechea, Modernism Week Board member and scholarship liaison. “It is a big part of our mission. Each year as the popularity of modern design grows, we continue to expand eastward, discovering more and more great design […] you never know what might be worth saving.”

Special thanks to OneFuture Coachella Valley, who provided matching funds to award each student with $5,000. OneFuture Coachella Valley works to help all students graduate prepared for college, career, and life — expanding and enhancing the local workforce so that our youth and economy thrive.

Congratulations to each of the 2020 Modernism Week Scholarship Recipients!