Growing up in New Milford, Stephanie Stroud ’12 (CAHNR) spent a lot of time in the woods.
These early experiences gave her a deep appreciation for the natural world.
“It was just a beautiful place to grow up and having that time to just run around, be a kid in the woods really made me interested in preserving the outdoors,” Stroud says.
After starting her college career at Southern Connecticut State University, Stroud transferred to UConn to study landscape architecture.
“I loved the studio environment that the landscape architecture program had,” Stroud says. “It was really close-knit, and the professors were really great and engaging. They really cared about their students.”
One of the elements Stroud appreciated most about UConn’s program was the hands-on work it does with communities. During her time in the program, Stroud worked on a downtown plan for Hebron.
“Working with that community really stuck with me,” Stroud says. “I got to meet the partners and people really doing the work in that community.”
After graduation, Stroud went to Seattle where she was an assistant gardener at the Seattle Art Museum and a landscape designer and maintenance crew lead at Cultivar LLC.
“I’m so grateful that I did those years gardening,” Stroud says. “I learned so much by doing those physical jobs out in the environment.”
When Stroud broke her wrist and couldn’t garden for some time, she stumbled across her dream job with the National Park Service through AmeriCorps. That fellowship turned into the full-time position she holds now as a community planner with the Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program.
The program provides free park and trail planning for communities in all 50 states. Stroud is based in Massachusetts.
“I’m always in awe of these community volunteers that are just so passionate and know their community so well,” Stroud says. “And a lot of them have been at it for a long time, fighting for these parks and trails for years and years, sometimes decades. Being able to deliver them some resources that they need just feels really rewarding.”
UConn’s landscape architecture program provided Stroud with a solid background in design that she still uses regularly for her job.
“UConn stands out with the way they teach fundamental skills,” Stroud says. “I feel very fortunate to have a foundational skill set where I can do hand graphics outside of all the great work that’s being done digitally. That has come in handy so many times working on the fly with community members.”
Stroud partnered with UConn students, faculty, and the Connecticut chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects on the development of the “Sliver by the River” in Bridgeport. The project aims to provide waterfront access to a community that has historically been cut off from this amenity.
“That is just a really great example of a community and professional partnership, and just awesome to work with UConn on that project,” Stroud says. “The students did an awesome job and came up with some really compelling designs at the community level. They listened to the community. They had some really great skills they brought to the project.”
This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Fostering Sustainable Landscapes at the Urban-Rural Interface.
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