11/19/2019
What an amazing ASLA conference this year in San Diego. Having safely returned, and now spending my first day back in the office reflecting on the last four days of travel, culture, instruction, camaraderie, and diversity, I am reminded that we all have a greater purpose in this life than to just exist.
I left San Diego inspired to do my part to make this world a better place through my role as a landscape architect/irrigation designer. I was reminded that we are a race of one people, often separated by arbitrary lines on a map, yet we all yearn for the same sense of belonging, love, and respect.
I was fortunate to experience the culture of Tijuana and see the progress the local tourism board is making with the design of their new parks system. I was encouraged to visit a local Mexican university campus and see that the profession of Landscape Architecture is being taught to students in other countries.
I was moved sit in education sessions and listen to leading designers in our profession talk about ways they are striving to make the world a better place for every person, regardless of skin color, economic status, or socioeconomic background. I cried alongside other colleagues as we listened to family members tell of their loved one’s murders by those sworn to uphold the law and how they sought justice for, and memorialized, those taken from them.
This world is not perfect, but it’s ours. And we only get one opportunity to live this life. I challenge you to ask yourself what legacy will you leave when you are gone and what will you do to make this a better world while you’re here.
I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I came home with more questions, than anything else. But I know that in the coming weeks and months, I will be doing my part to make this world just a little bit better than it was yesterday and I hope that you will too.