Lindsay Puthoff n Staff Reporter
At 28, Francesca Hernandez has traveled to 13 countries, and the senior landscape architecture major will add another stamp to her passport Saturday.
Hernandez will stay in the United Arab Emirates for three weeks as part of a 13-week fellowship with Hart Howerton, a New York environmental design company. There, she will work to design more efficient and sustainable landscape environments.
A large part of her stay in the country will be devoted to the man-made island of Abu Dhabi, south of Dubai.
Hernandez will return to Hart Howerton to present her research on July 29.
Hernandez hand-picked the location after a friend sent her information on the island's lavish and unsustainable habits, she said.
John Motloch, professor of landscape architecture and director of "Sustainability For the Americas," has worked with Hernandez on several projects at Ball State.
"She's one of the most broadly-aware people that I know in terms of the world and environmental issues," he said.
An international resource management minor, Hernandez has a special interest in sustainability, she said.
Her experiences at Ball State have helped her prepare for the fellowship, Hernandez said.
"All the things done at studio are completely in line with the firm," she said.
Hernandez's experiences include working on a team through the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry to develop a video game that educates elementary students about the natural environment.
"She stood out as one of the most articulate and well-read students in terms of sustainability," Martha Hunt, adviser of the project, said.
Hernandez, who was born in Austin, Texas, said she is used to being away from home and enjoys traveling.
"Ever since I was a young girl, I've always been really interested in other cultures," she said.
Hernandez attended art school in Mexico when she was 17 and lived in London for a year in 1999.
When Hernandez returns to Ball State in the fall, she will work with the Center for Energy Research and Education at Ball State in an effort to reduce greenhouse emissions and educate students on reducing their energy consumption. The program is a part of the National Wildlife Federation Fellowship she received earlier this year in addition to the Hart Howerton Fellowship.
Hernandez said she devotes about 10 hours a week to applying for scholarships.
"I'm an out-of-state student, so my tuition is ridiculous," she said, "I decided about a year and a half ago that I needed to be making more money."
Within the last year, she's applied for 17 scholarships or fellowships and received four of them, totaling $18,000, with more possible scholarships pending.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
