Women's Leadership Summit (WLS) Scholarship

AIA Pennsylvania is proud to fund registration and travel for the annual Women’s Leadership Summit (WLS). The event, founded by AIA, supports and empowers women in architecture, design, and the allied building industries.
Applications Open
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2022’s inaugural class of WLS Scholarship recipients included Parva Markiw, Melanie Ngami, Erin Roark, Esra Abumounshar, Amanda Bonelli pictured with scholarship founder Jamie Obe

Award

The Women’s Leadership Summit Scholarship covers a minimum of three members’ total summit registration, plus a stipend for airfare and accommodations. There is flexibility to award additional recipients’ registration.

Timeline

Application period: April - June
Recipient notification: TBD Late July
Recipient announcement & takeaways: TBD Late October

Eligibility

Applicants must be members of AIA Pennsylvania in good standing.

Application

Applicants are required to name a professional reference and address the following questions in the application fields:
  • What do you hope to gain and how will you apply this experience if selected?
  • Briefly describe any experience you have had with: advocating and advancing any of the following: sustainability, resilience, and climate action, affordable housing, equality, and the future of our cities, technology application.
  • Briefly describe any experience you have with: influencing and catalyzing change, supporting communities and finding purpose.

Criteria

Criteria for evaluation include but are not limited to:
  • Passion for advancing a career in architecture
  • Involvement in AIA
  • Advocacy efforts or advancement of the architecture profession and/or greater industry
  • Service to a community or the greater public through design

Selection

Applications are reviewed by the Women in Architecture Scholarship Task Force, charged with setting criteria and reviewing the applications to advocate for recipient funding at the board level.

Requirements

As individuals and class, recipients will be required to document their WLS experience with written takeaways, highlights, resources, and photos for use in compiling the following:
  • Written synopsis for the membership
  • Presentation to the AIA Pennsylvania Board
  • 1 hour virtual CE presentation to the membership
  • Report to local chapters

Recipients