Payette is pleased to announce the 2016 recipient of the Payette Sho-Ping Chin Memorial Academic Scholarship, Naureen Mazumdar. The scholarship, offered through the AIA, was established to assist and honor female architecture students and named in the memory of Sho-Ping Chin FAIA, long-time Payette principal. Throughout her career Sho-Ping was an impactful mentor and instilled her teams with a sense of camaraderie and commitment to design. As a founder of the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit, held biennially, Chin was instrumental in defining the national discourse for Women in Design. Sho-Ping was also known for her commitment to design high caliber spaces for those in need. This the first AIA scholarship named after a woman architect exclusively for women pursuing architecture.

The scholarship committee, made up of dedicated teaching professional and practitioners of the profession received over 80 applications, but was most impressed by Naureen’s academic and personal achievements. Naureen Mazumdar is a second year graduate student attending the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where she plans on obtaining a master’s degree in architecture. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Mazumar discovered her passion for architecture while pursuing her undergraduate’s degree at Wellesley College. Coupled with her outstanding academic record, Mazumar’s commitment to improving the well-being of communities through the power of design allowed her to stand out among such a large group of qualified applicants.

In her personal essay, Naureen stated, “Architects must act as leaders who are driven by civic responsibility and strive for good design in the world, especially for the underprivileged. Our commitment to serving a larger purpose must be rooted in our goals to affect change in people’s lives and to meet today’s social and economic challenges by improving urban environments.” Her view of architecture as a means toward improving our world makes her an excellent match with Sho-Ping’s values and a worthy recipient of the scholarship.

Two examples from Naureen's impressive portfolio of some of her work completed during her first year at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.