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Riley Chustz a landscape architecture major, with a business minor in entrepreneurship, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana plans to move to Southern California to further her design career.

“Riley is an awesome team player. Be it in studio or a lecture class she excels in her own work while helping her peers and making sure everyone does their best work. Riley brings a balance of kindness and competence to the table, traits that I believe will serve her well in whatever she pursues moving forward. Persevering through her own personal challenges, Riley is graduating with well-deserved flying colors!”  –Emily Greenwood, ENVD Instructor

“If everything exists within the landscape, then landscape architects must learn to design everything,” –Anonymous

I have always been equally creative and analytical to the point that I knew I would never truly enjoy a profession that was solely one or the other. It wasn’t until I walked into ENVD on Admitted Student Day that I realized that I could choose a path that is the perfect balance between the two.

I chose landscape architecture because it is a field that is continuously evolving. In architecture, the day a building is completed, it’s the best it will ever be. However, in the landscape, a project’s best days are always ahead as plants mature.

I will miss the culture of being around like-minded individuals who share a passion for design and creativity while embracing the studio-life mentality.

I do not have one favorite memory but have always loved the end of semester presentations and getting to see my projects come to fruition.

It didn’t matter that my best friends weren’t in the same program as me because, throughout my four years in ENVD, I was able to form meaningful relationships that only those in ENVD can understand. I do not know how I would have made it without all of my peers, encouraging me during long nights in the studio.

I plan to move to Southern California and further my design career at a local firm.