One of the paramount challenges facing humanity today is the accessibility and effectiveness of trauma recovery resources. Survivors of disasters and incidents of crises often struggle with limited recovery resources and alongside it, environments that fail to support healing and instilling resiliency. Often survivors of trauma, large or small, find themselves in harsh and sterile spaces that, rather than promote trauma support, hinder it with its impersonal approach. However, in my research and experiences I have found that integrating natural landscapes into architectural design can significantly improve recovery outcomes, reducing stress, and restoring a sense of well-being. This issue is deeply personal to me, as I have experienced it firsthand by both my accident and within my careers. On January 3, 2014, my husband and I experienced a traumatic vehicle collision, altering both our lives. Together we have endured physical pain and the psychological aspects of turmoil, self-doubt, and everyday simple struggles of independence. As fuel leaked from our overturned and crushed car, I pulled myself out of a broken window, dragging my shattered leg across the asphalt, and attempted to free my husband from the wreckage. In that moment, I understood survival as both instinct and a necessity. After years of painful rehabilitation, emotional hardship, and difficulty navigating a severely lacking support system, I learned that survival does not just end with rescue, but it continues in the spaces we recover in. This experience awakened my passion to not only improve search and rescue efficiency in my career, but increase access to trauma recovery resources for those in needing a new approach in mental health. I have since devoted my career to helping others in crisis through public safety, family readiness programs, and military support initiatives. Through my career as a Park Ranger, specifically in conservation and land management, I have found built environments have a profound effect on communities and ecosystems. I am eager to apply my knowledge in new ways by developing architectural solutions that prioritize sustainability, minimize environmental impact, and create spaces that that integrate with their environment, preserving the landscapes they inhabit within their surroundings. I saw how nature influences mental health directly in positive ways, by implementing carefully designed trails that improve accessibility to open spaces to promote mental wellness. While my background in Anthropology and Park Management has given me valuable insight, it is my belief that continuing at University of San Diego will offer the best opportunity to learn the best specialized training regarding architectural design, sustainable building practices, and innovative technology that will allow me to take my impact further. It will provide the ideal foundation for me to transition from studying human-ecology with environmental adaptability to actively design structures that reflect an eco-conscious infrastructure then integrating seamlessly with natural landscape in addition to potentially discovering solutions to integrate it with Mental Health. Now, it's my goal to bridge architecture, environmental sustainability, and my experiences to create spaces that aid trauma recovery, resiliency, and human connection with nature in our community.

One of the paramount challenges facing humanity today is the accessibility and effectiveness of trauma recovery resources. Survivors of disasters and incidents of crises often struggle with limited recovery resources and alongside it, environments that fail to support healing and instilling resiliency. Often survivors of trauma, large or small, find themselves in harsh and sterile spaces that, rather than promote trauma support, hinder it with its impersonal approach. However, in my research and experiences I have found that integrating natural landscapes into architectural design can significantly improve recovery outcomes, reducing stress, and restoring a sense of well-being. This issue is deeply personal to me, as I have experienced it firsthand by both my accident and within my careers. On January 3, 2014, my husband and I experienced a traumatic vehicle collision, altering both our lives. Together we have endured physical pain and the psychological aspects of turmoil, self-doubt, and everyday simple struggles of independence. As fuel leaked from our overturned and crushed car, I pulled myself out of a broken window, dragging my shattered leg across the asphalt, and attempted to free my husband from the wreckage. In that moment, I understood survival as both instinct and a necessity. After years of painful rehabilitation, emotional hardship, and difficulty navigating a severely lacking support system, I learned that survival does not just end with rescue, but it continues in the spaces we recover in. This experience awakened my passion to not only improve search and rescue efficiency in my career, but increase access to trauma recovery resources for those in needing a new approach in mental health. I have since devoted my career to helping others in crisis through public safety, family readiness programs, and military support initiatives. Through my career as a Park Ranger, specifically in conservation and land management, I have found built environments have a profound effect on communities and ecosystems. I am eager to apply my knowledge in new ways by developing architectural solutions that prioritize sustainability, minimize environmental impact, and create spaces that that integrate with their environment, preserving the landscapes they inhabit within their surroundings. I saw how nature influences mental health directly in positive ways, by implementing carefully designed trails that improve accessibility to open spaces to promote mental wellness. While my background in Anthropology and Park Management has given me valuable insight, it is my belief that continuing at University of San Diego will offer the best opportunity to learn the best specialized training regarding architectural design, sustainable building practices, and innovative technology that will allow me to take my impact further. It will provide the ideal foundation for me to transition from studying human-ecology with environmental adaptability to actively design structures that reflect an eco-conscious infrastructure then integrating seamlessly with natural landscape in addition to potentially discovering solutions to integrate it with Mental Health. Now, it is my goal is to bridge architecture, environmental sustainability, and my experiences to create spaces that aid trauma recovery, resiliency, and human connection with nature in our community.