The staff at HMC Architects have always been committed to improving healthcare and education facilities through design, and now they’re recognizing that by expanding their reach to philanthropy, they can change even more lives within those vital service industries by investing in the next generation of educators, healthcare workers, architects and engineers.
HMC Architects established the HMC Designing Futures Foundation in 2008. It is a charitable organization that provides scholarships and support to deserving, capable students who choose to pursue career opportunities in the critical fields of healthcare, architecture, engineering and education.
“I’ve been involved in school architecture for years and we design schools to have an impact on kids, but we’re always one step removed from seeing the results of our efforts,” remarks the executive director of the foundation scholarship board and the education practice leader at HMC Architects, John Nichols, AIA, LEED® AP. “This program allows us to engage students and have a direct impact on their future and level of education.”
In 2009, the Foundation granted the first round of awards to several deserving high school students, which included both Senior Scholarships and College Preparatory Scholarships.
The College Preparatory Scholarship is a perpetual scholarship available to students in selected high schools. For this scholarship program, the Foundation works with partner high schools that offer programs in healthcare, architecture, engineering and education. The Foundation supports a maximum of two scholarships at each of the schools per year.
This scholarship is intended to prepare students for admission at any public or private college or university in the state of California and support them through up to five years in higher education. Recipients of the College Preparatory Scholarship receive $500 in the eleventh grade and $500 in the twelfth grade. Recipients who attend a two-year community college receive $1,000 per academic year. Recipients who attend the California State University receive $2,000 per year, while those who attend the University of California or a private college receive up to $3,000 per year.
For one of the 2009 scholarship recipients—a promising biomedical engineering student—this assistance will help her, “to become a high profile forensic pathologist while also moving toward other areas in the medical field, such as surgery.”
All awardees must satisfy mandatory criteria, which includes meeting a minimum GPA requirement, being enrolled in an applicable school and program, and demonstrating exemplary integrity, ethics and character. For these particular scholarships, the recipients cannot be related to any HMC Architects shareholder, but must share the core values of the firm.
“HMC Architects has been amazing and we are truly grateful to have them represent our school, our district, and our community,” offers Priscilla Grijalva, a school counselor at one of the partner high schools, La Sierra High School. “It has been a great joy to see our students achieve their goals and dreams.”
Each year the foundation selects several students related to HMC employees to receive scholarships as a way to give back to their employees. The foundation also selects several programs to support each year, based on their ability to advance the fields of healthcare, architecture, engineering and education.
According to HMC CEO and President Randy Peterson, FAIA, LEED AP, “We feel fortunate to have been in a position to establish this foundation as a way to give back to the clients, communities, and industries that have contributed to our success. And with the recent downturn in the economy, we’re hoping the support will have an even greater impact on the recipients.”
“After 30 years of planning and designing schools, the power of handing a student a scholarship, then tracking that student’s progress, and seeing them flourish is a powerful experience,” remarked John Nichols, AIA, LEED AP. “It’s amazing to look the kids in their eyes and see exactly who you are helping and know that these kids will end up helping others.”
