Through a commitment initiated by the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable in 1986, AIA Seattle has established two funds to advance professional diversity through support of students from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds at the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning: the AIA Seattle Diversity Scholarship, and the Denice Hunt K-12 Internship. Beginning in 2006, AIA national matching funds added value to the programs and augmented support to the recipients selected by UW CAUP processes.

The AIA Seattle Marga Rose Hancock Endowed Scholarship
Beginning in 1990, the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable funded the annual giving of scholarship support to a student at the UW Department of Architecture. Under a changing series of names reflecting a series of legislative shifts regarding ethnic and racial quotas for scholarship support, the fund has annually supported an individual demonstrating economic need based on minority/disadvantaged background. In 2004, the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable completed a campaign to endow the fund, administered by the University of Washington. Annually, a UW faculty committee reviews applications and selects a qualifying student to receive scholarship support. The Diversity Roundtable congratulates and welcomes the scholarship recipient at the UW College of Architecture and Urban Planning's annual Recognition Day, and at the annual Summer Solstice event.

Marga Rose Hancock Endowed Scholarship Recipients

1997-98 – Uyvu Nguyen
1998-99 – Vincent Gonzales
1999-00 - ?
2000-01 – Natalie Echeverri
2001-02 – Maurice Diaz
2002-03 – Youngmin Han
2003-04 – Maria Do
2004-05 – Frank Brescia
2004-05 – Yamani Hernandez
2005-06 – Yong Sun Lee
2005-06 – Farina Clark
2006-07 – Ray Villanueva
2007-08 – Jonathan Hernandez
2007-08 – Tracey Brown
2008-09 – Andre’ Taybron
2008-09 – Charla Lemoine
2009-10 – Jennifer Richter
2010-11 – AJ Taaca

The AIA Seattle Denice Hunt K-12 Internship
In 1998, the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable, acting in cooperation with the family and friends of the late Denice Hunt, established the AIA Seattle Denice Johnson Hunt K-12 Internship at the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) and the Center for Environment, Education and Design Studies (CEEDS) at the College. The Internship honors the memory of Denice Johnson Hunt AIA (d. 12/25/97), a K-12 activist and the first woman of African-American heritage to serve as an AIA component President, and her commitment to diversifying the design professions through youth education. In 2003, the Diversity Roundtable completed a campaign to endow the program, with funds held and administered by the University of Washington.

Diversifying the Design Professions through K-12 Activism:
The AIA Seattle Denice Johnson Hunt K-12 Internship provides support to students to carry out independent learning plans that increase awareness of architecture and urban design among children attending public schools. The UW CAUP and CEEDS administer the program by soliciting proposals from eligible students, and annually invite the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable to review applications (which include a proposal with learning plans for UW student's work with K-12 youth) and offer a recommendation to CEEDS regarding the selection of the student. The UW CAUP makes the final selection and all payments, and honors the selected AIA Seattle Denice Hunt Intern as part of the annual CAUP Recognition Day. Typically the Denice Hunt Intern meets with the Diversity Roundtable during the course of the work, and presents a report of the project at the annual Summer Solstice gathering.

Denise Johnson Hunt Internship

2001-02 – Craig Skipton
2003-04 – Kristi Kildall
2003-04 – Yamani Hernandez
2004-05 – Gregory Squires
2006-07 – Melanie Lyons
2007-08 – David Minnery
2010-11 – Mary Fialko