Community connection
Asma Ali is one of the first students to receive a generous School of Architecture Entrance Scholarship.
When Asma Ali was deciding where to attend architecture school, Dalhousie was not the obvious choice to her. For Asma, a top student studying in the United Arab Emirates who grew up in Ontario, returning to the province in which she was raised seemed her most logical option.
“I was born in Sudan but was raised in Ontario. There are several architecture schools in Ontario and it would have been familiar there,” reflects Asma. As she investigated further, Dal Architecture’s reputation as a community-minded School with access to the profession through practicing professors and required co-op terms, made her choice clear. She enrolled at Dal last fall. And the beginning of her Dal education was met with a School of Architecture Entrance Scholarship.
Asma Ali is amongst the first cohort of Architecture students to receive the generous entrance scholarship. (Danny Abriel)
The scholarship was established in 2019 by several architecture firms including MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, Stantec, Architecture49 and FBM Architecture, all who have numerous connections to the School. An anonymous graduate of the School also donated the funding for three additional awards. The creation of these scholarships helps to strengthen the connection between the School and the profession and supports the enrolment of exceptional students from around the world. Asma is one of the students who received the inaugural award last fall.
The Director of the School of Architecture, Diogo Burnay, says these awards have a direct and immediate impact.
“To maintain the calibre of our program, we aim to attract the most passionate, talented and engaged students, and these scholarships directly support this mission,” he says.
School of Architecture alumni have always played a direct role in the education of the next generation through their involvement as instructors, guest critics and employers. This new scholarship fund enriches their opportunity to impact the School. Burnay is confident in the potential for future impact.
“It is our hope that more firms and individuals invest in our future and their own businesses by establishing their own named scholarship or bursary funds. Attracting top students and supporting their education is one of the best ways we can continue to set the standard of excellence in architecture education and enrich the profession in our region.”
