Taylor Broussard
Faculty, School of Landscape Architecture
- 2018 NAHB Master-Planned Community of the Year – Gold
- 2018 NAHB Best Signage – Silver
- 2021 NAHB Master-Planned Community of the Year – Silver
- 2021 NAHB Best Signage – Silver
Education
- Academy of Art University, MA Landscape Architecture
- California State University Fresno, Bachelor of Political Science
What is the best advice you received that helped you get where you are today?
Martin Luther King Jr.’s shared wisdom on the value of work, service and purpose. He used the analogy of the streetsweeper in his sermons, but it’s summarized best in one quote: “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence”. This was shared too by a central figure in Landscape Architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted as well: “I want to make myself useful to the world… to help advance the condition of Society…”.
Recognizing our work as an act of service to our community is essential to finding purpose in what we do. There will be small projects of seemingly little significance, and big projects of great notoriety placed before us, but all work matters because excellent work dignifies others.
What was the biggest obstacle you overcame while pursuing your career goals?
Being a late bloomer…! It took me some time to figure out my direction, and whether I wanted to follow in my father’s foot steps as a Landscape Architect. I considered other fields like public policy and urban planning, but ultimately found that I could make a meaningful difference in Landscape Architecture. Coming to this decision years later in life took me out of a conventional educational path since I had started a family, but online education gave me an opportunity towards licensure and professional development.
What is a resource you wish you had better utilized when you were a student?
Recognizing the instructor as a resource and asking more questions in the classroom. Whether it’s more feedback, clarity on instructions or something else, creating a dialogue in the classroom can dramatically change your educational experience. Developing the ability to ask questions is also a critical skill in the professional environment – you can even imagine your instructor as your client!
Courses Taught
