SPQR Fellowship

Organized in the Spring of  2010, the SPQR Fellowship conducted its first fund raising campaign in the Fall. The pledge drive was overseen by Peter Rozga, associate development officer of the University of Minnesota College of Design. The School of Architecture is one department in the College of Design. If you would like to contribute, please contact Peter Rozga by email or by phone: 612.624.7808.

The Fellowship scholarship was announced in the Fall and applications were due in early January. On the strength of her application portfolio (below) and interviews, Kelly Martinez was selected. Leaving in mid March, Kelly will be with twelve other College of Design students in Venice studying for eight weeks. Following that, she intends to stay and study in Rome. She will be posting some of her experiences here on the Home page.

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This is her letter of introduction to the Fellowship.

I am very honored to be the recipient of the SPQR Fellowship for 2011! The opportunity to study and learn in one of the most storied cities in the world is incredible. Thank you for the Fellowship!

Hopefully my explorations and discoveries in Rome will be something that the entire SPQR Fellowship community can enjoy. To get to know me a little better, I would like to share a few things about myself. I am a Masters of Architecture student in my second year of study at the University of Minnesota. My undergraduate degree is also from the U of M; a B.S. in architecture and a minor in design.

Architecture and the field of design have been my passion for years. Some of my specific areas of interest are architectural history and light in architecture. At the present time, my favorite architects and architectural firms are Tadao Ando, Carlo Scarpa and SANAA.

Other hobbies and interests are music (I play the piano and flute), traveling, photography, gardening and scrapbooking.

—Kelly Martinez