Justice, EQUITY, DIVERSITY and INCLUSION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
We have created the SmithGroup Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Scholarship Program to support and mentor students from historically underrepresented demographics in architecture, interior design, planning, landscape architecture and engineering. The program’s mission is to provide these students with the opportunity to attain their professional goals while advancing the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry and improving the built environment.
This scholarship includes a one-time award of $6,000 to offset the student's tuition at their current academic institution (5 scholarships are awarded each year). Additionally, the scholarship recipients serve as paid summer interns at SmithGroup offices across the United States (internship is a program requirement). Since its inception in 2018, the program has awarded $210,000 to 35 recipients across the United States.
SMITHGROUP AWARDS 2023 JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SCHOLARSHIPS
SmithGroup, one of the nation’s leading integrated design firms, has named the recipients of the 2023 SmithGroup Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Scholarships. The annual scholarship program was established to foster a more diverse and inclusive design industry by investing in the next generation of design talent. Since its inception in 2018, the program has awarded $210,000 to 35 recipients across the United States.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The 2024 application has closed. Applications for 2025 will open in the fall of 2024. For questions about the SmithGroup J.E.D.I. Scholarship program, please submit an email to scholarships [at] smithgroup.com.
THE INTERN EXPERIENCE
THE VOICE OF INTERNS: BUILDING A MORE INCLUSIVE INDUSTRY
What does it take to evolve the design industry so that we can design a better future for all? Our 2021 intern class shares their insights and experiences on how EDI plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges of tomorrow.
PAST RECIPIENTS
J.E.D.I. AT SMITHGROUP
Working to Design a Better Future for All
Often used interchangeably, equity, diversity and inclusion are not synonyms. Each has a different meaning, and each plays a unique yet interrelated role in shaping our design culture and outcomes for a better future together.
HOW WE WORK
Our integrated design process emphasizes multi-disciplinary contributions and weaves together complex inputs into an elegant whole. Our tenacious creativity empowers us and our clients to Design a Better Future.
LEADING THE CONVERSATION
Designing for Justice and Decarbonization in Allensworth, CA
As part of the interdisciplinary team that won the Architecture at Zero 2023 competition, we were inspired by the design challenge it posed. The prompt for this year’s competition was to design an agricultural center and housing for farm students in historic Allensworth, California, located north of Bakersfield. Established by Colonel Allen Allensworth in 1908, the town was the first in California to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. While this agricultural community initially thrived, racially motivated decisions to relocate the rail line and divert regional water supplies led to a century of environmental hardships and economic struggles that are being redressed.
