HOPES29

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Directors – HOPES 29

Abby Brown

Director of Logistics

Hi, I’m Abby! I am a 4th year Bachelors of Architecture Student with particular interests in equitability and sustainability at the human scale of design. I believe achieving sustainability at the necessary scale demands a holistic reevaluation of our socioeconomic systems and how they impact design choices. I am incredibly excited to be a part of the HOPES conference team this year. HOPES has a longstanding tradition of gathering people who want to make a difference, and fostering positive changes in our systems requires collective action. I can’t wait to hear what our extraordinary group of speakers have to share.

Nina Ben Gershom

Co-Director of Speakers

Hi, I’m Nina. I am a fourth-year Interior Architecture undergraduate student at the University of Oregon. I am deeply passionate about sustainable design and am excited to be actively engaged in discussions surrounding this important topic. My particular interest lies at the intersection of design and sociology, exploring how these two fields can work together to promote sustainable practices. I am driven by a strong commitment to fostering community connections, promoting cultural understanding, and ensuring that everyone has access to well-designed environments, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Adelle Iseri

Director of Finances

Hello! My name is Adelle and I am a 3rd year studying Economics and Planning, Public Policy, & Management (PPPM) at the UO. This year, I am really looking forward to the conversations we will be having about reshaping the way we understand sustainability. I’m excited to hear thoughts from the community and our guest speakers on how we are reimagining our current structures to be resilient yet significantly more sustainable since this is a topic discussed in Economics as well.

Maya Merrill

Director of Branding

Hello, I’m Maya! I am a fourth-year student pursuing a BFA in Product Design at the UO. I am particularly interested in being a part of HOPES because of its focus on critically evaluating the ways in which designers can play a role in creating a more sustainable and equitable world. I’m really excited to be inspired by the design professionals and change makers across diverse disciplines that will be featured in this conference and I hope it will inspire others to see how all of us can create positive impact through collective action, no matter the medium or discipline.

Karianna Muller

Director

Hello! My name is Kari, and I am in my 4th year of a Bachelor of Architecture here at the University of Oregon. I was drawn to this program because of its focus on sustainability from the material to the urban scale. I was thrilled to learn that much of that value-driven learning was inspired by student-led initiatives like the Solar Information Center and the Ecological Design Center, two organizations that set the foundation for what HOPES has become today. I am so excited to use this year’s conference to reignite that passion in the next generation of designers, bringing the focus back to community and innovation. I believe that we have the power to fundamentally redefine what being a “designer” even means, and use the inherent optimism and passion in the field to radically reimagine the future.

Elise O’Brien

Co-Director of Speakers

2nd year MA Folklore; 1st year Masters of Landscape Architecture
I got involved with HOPES because design has an outsized impact on our built environment and therefore our spatial reality. How we design matters and how designers view the world impacts us all. Our speakers this year are really special. My hope is that creating a confluence of students and invited visionaries will increase our capacity for change, create new collaborative opportunities, and allow for inspired networking of like minded individuals.

Grace O’Brien

Director of Outreach

2nd year Master of Architecture candidate at the University of Oregon. Like many others at U.O. I was enthused by the reputation of sustainability that we have here on campus. Motivated by concern for human rights, radical justice, and climate preservation, I am excited to take part in the HOPES conference this year in order to continue that legacy and move the needle forward. Every day we are seeing the effects of climate change, and we cannot afford to see design and the built environment as a continued tool for capital gains and extraction. I am excited to learn from our speakers and be part of a movement that demands better ways of living in order to influence the political and social tides of climate change and sustainability.

Contributors – HOPES 29

Dawnielle Castledine

Contributions to Speakers

While earning my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Policy, I grew frustrated with how helpless I felt about the looming climate crisis. I “found” design in my pursuit of tools that would significantly impact reducing carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane emissions. Science kept pointing back at industry – including the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry – as the biggest culprit. I enrolled in the ECOSA Institute and received my certificate in Regenerative Ecological Design. Throughout my early years, my interests kept coming back to city design and architecture. I finally started my Master of Architecture journey in 2022 at the University of Oregon, where I specialize in urban architecture, emphasizing sustainability and spatial justice. I look forward to working as a licensed architect on civic and cultural projects that move our world towards a future beyond sustainability or mere resiliency, where we can all flourish.

Liliya Zagorski

Contributions to Branding

Liliya Zagorski. 3rd year Bachelor of Architecture Student and minoring in art history. Designer and writer. Attended the HOPES 28 conference and was inspired to be a part of the team this year to help promote a variety of design topics, work, and people that our community has access to.