Volunteers

 

Ashley Hin, Volunteer

Ashley Hin is a UC Davis student majoring in Landscape Architecture with a minor in Professional Writing. She has been involved with the UC Davis NAMLA student chapter for the past two years as the Graphic Designer, and is now the President for the '23-'24 school year. After working in several non-profit organizations aimed at uplifting underrepresented voices during community college, Ashley saw how closely creativity, intersectionality, and community intertwined with one another. She hopes to create spaces that are diverse, welcoming, and inspiring to minorities within the landscape architecture field and academia.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys drawing, printmaking, swimming, hiking, and spoiling her cat, Sushi. She is also a freelance illustrator and has drawn for ARTVenture: Down the Mekong, a children's art book inspired by the culture of Southeast Asia. She currently works as a GIS intern at UC Davis' facilities management and as a groundskeeper at a local garden.


Darius Bottorff, Volunteer

NAMLA Volunteer Darius Bottorff is a Landscape Designer who graduated with a BSLA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduation, he traveled west to begin his career in Idaho, leaving behind Wisconsin's scenic prairies and wetlands for Idaho's mountains and valleys.

In his leisure, he's a digital and traditional artist using bold colors and mediums such as acrylic, watercolor, poster color, and ballpoint pen. When he's not tackling creative projects, he's playing soccer, volleyball, or volunteering with NAMLA. Darius strives to help NAMLA spread awareness of underrepresented and underserved populations in Landscape Architecture.


Maria Victoria Arias, Volunteer

Born and raised in Venezuela, Maria Victoria Arias Montero, also known as Mavi, recently graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Landscape Architecture. She is a founding member of the National Association of Minority Landscape Architecture student chapter at UC Davis and served as its President for the past two years. Mavi's primary aim is to create a sense of community where everyone's voices are heard and to increase minority representation in higher education and post graduation.

In addition to her leadership roles and academic accomplishments, Mavi was awarded the title of 2023 LAF Olmsted Scholar for her outstanding leadership within the LA+ED program at UC Davis.

As a recent graduate, Mavi currently works as a Research Assistant on a project titled "Understanding the socio-economic benefits of educational outdoor recreation programs for underserved youth of color." The project is a collaboration between UC Davis, the US Forest Service, and an organization in the Los Angeles area called Outward Bound Adventures. Through this research, she aims to contribute to the betterment of underserved communities.