Elizabeth VanDerwerken

Hometown: Centerton, NJ
Education Background: BS in Family life (interior design emphasis)

How did you get interested in your field?
After college, I worked in city government for the city council in Provo, Utah, for eight years. During this time, I realized that many of the policy issues I was most interested in at the city level related to the work that landscape architects do—natural resources planning, public space/public realm planning, and more. I was also really interested in land use and how that process shapes the built environment. The more I learned about the field of landscape architecture, the more I realized it combined many things I was interested in, in ways that I found really compelling and exciting. I had an interest in city planning for much longer and it felt like an obvious choice to do a dual degree program.

What was your background prior to coming to Penn?
I came back to school over a decade after I graduated college, so I have a less traditional background than many students at Weitzman. I worked in local government for almost a decade, which equipped me with a lot of knowledge and skills that have given me a unique perspective on a lot of the issues we study. Although I didn’t have any traditional design experience, I have a lot of creative hobbies (including sewing, knitting, other fiber arts, and drawing) which helped prepare me in other ways for design school.

Why did you choose Penn?
I lived in Utah at the time of applying but grew up in the Philadelphia region and have always loved the area. Penn is a standout in both the fields of landscape architecture and city planning—the programs are rigorous and prepare students well. The programs also have amazing faculty, including professors of practice who currently work in the discipline. I also valued the cultural climate of Penn’s landscape architecture program, recognizing the amount of talented designers and thinkers who are connected to this program. I wanted a graduate school experience that would challenge and excite me and Weitzman felt like a very good fit for me.

What has been your favorite class so far?
The field ecology class (“workshop”) in the fall of my first year has been one of my favorites. It was a great way to become more familiar with the area and the plant communities that are here and get a jump start on that part of my design work.

What are you learning right now that will help you in the future?
This semester I am taking a landscape architecture media class where we are studying cartography as a tool of design communication. In addition to learning the use of ArcGIS/GIS software, I am also learning about how to create maps that convey a narrative through data and information that are also beautiful and visually engaging. As a designer, this is always the task you are asked to do—to communicate ideas effectively and beautifully.

What do you like best about Philadelphia?
Philadelphia is an amazing city for so many reasons. It has a great arts and culture scene, with incredible public art and so many museums. There are also lots of great restaurants and neighborhoods to explore. I also love the people in Philly—you meet all kinds of people and they all love this city.

What kinds of activities and/or organizations are you involved in?
I help run a student club called Weitzman Gardeners. We are focused on helping students in the design school get hands-on experience with plants and gardens, to add to the in-class experiences we get. I also love doing type/design projects through the Common Press letterpress studio at Fisher Fine Arts.

What are your career ambitions?
I loved working in the public sector, and I see myself doing that again. Many private firms do contract work for cities or local governments and that seems like my ideal future career path soon after school. I am still narrowing it down; there are so many different directions you can go with a combined landscape architecture and planning degree!