Please join us in congratulating the fabulous Jennie Li for being recognized as the November 2024 APAC Adviser of the month!
Jennie’s tireless work, constant enthusiasm, and genuine care for the wellbeing of everyone who steps into her office is the foundation of a supportive and empathetic Landscape Architecture community here at UW. Jennie’s flexibility and rock solid presence as an adviser was on display in the fall quarter, as she took on advising work for both the undergraduate and graduate cohorts in our program. This came amidst shifting leadership positions and a fast-paced academic term, but she rose to the challenge with great care and admirable determination to help guide and advise our student community.
Jennie’s nominator summed up her impact on the UW Landscape Architecture Department since she joined the team perfectly:
“Jennie is a phenomenal advisor. She is deeply seated in the Landscape Architecture discipline as an advanced degree holder and former practitioner in the field. Her perspective not only informs her advising, but also was recognized in the programs’ accreditation. Jennie recently took on advising for both the undergraduate and the graduate programs due to some leadership shifts in the department. She is a standout advocate for student wellness. With the intense studio culture and cohort nature of the major, Jennie is always at the forefront of wellness check ins for each cohort and working to create a collaborative cohort culture. Within our college, Landscape Architecture punches above its weight in study abroad opportunities and DEI engagement, and you can bet that at most those efforts are only half a step away from Jennie at all times. Did I mention she’s doing all of this while working through a proposal for a new Bachelor’s degree program?
And running a mentorship program? After launching a successful Youth in the Built Environments program that got scaled up to college-wide? Yes, she has been at the heart of efforts to take outreach about the built environments careers to middle school youth, engaging Denny Middle School students in projects on the Duwamish River. Jennie sets boundaries for parents who don’t respect FERPA. She’s a fabulous resource for other advisors in the college and has been an immense help and support to me and to other advising colleagues.”
Jennie recently chatted with APAC, providing insight into some of her projects at UW, and some of her favorite things to do (and eat) when she isn’t helping students:
Q: How long have you been on campus?
A: I attended as a Masters student here at UW in both the Landscape Architecture and Urban Design and Planning departments between 2013-2016 and came back to work in the Landscape Architecture department in Autumn of 2020.
Q: What are some exciting projects you just completed or are currently working on?
A: The project I like to brag about mostly because it is student-run and student-led is the Youths in the Built Environment (YBE) program, which I had the honor of supporting as its staff member in its first year after receiving funding and am continuing to help steward. The program is a youth outreach program to introduce K-12 students particularly from underserved communities to issues and disciplines in the built environment and is taught by current students in the College of Built Environments (CBE). This program was initiated by Landscape Architecture students and supported by both the Landscape Architecture and Urban Design and Planning departments in its second year, and is now supported by the CBE through our Office of Student Services. There is nothing that makes me more happy about working in a school environment than seeing students supporting and mentoring each other. Here is a link to the article we wrote after the first year’s launch, and here’s a more recent Instagram post about the program now that it is supervised by the College of Built Environment.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you are not on campus/working?
A: I really enjoy gardening and sketching/painting outside, and have recently unlocked a new found interest in running after a friend convinced me to sign up for my first 5K this past September.
Q: Where is your favorite place to eat around campus?
A: Love Saint Bread! Their summer patio/food truck is so fun.
Q: Most recent favorite book, show, movie, or podcast?
A: I’d been hearing great things about Perfect Days and finally saw it on a plane ride (unfortunately on my tiny phone screen), but it still left a huge impression! Such a beautifully composed and incredible film that inspired me to look at my own life and appreciate small daily joys – too often these days, I find tv/movie content to be so packed with action/drama and yet have so little to say. Hoping it’ll get shown again on a bigger screen in one of our many independent theaters here in Seattle.
Congrats again Jennie!