Los Angeles, CA (February 15, 2019) – With the expansion of its international programs, as well as satellite initiatives in Bogotá, China, and Mexico City, SCI-Arc has broadened its global reach while remaining committed to creating a positive impact in the context of Los Angeles.

In this spirit, SCI-Arc is pleased to announce the GAYA Scholarship, which will sponsor one extraordinary student from Mexico to attend SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. The scholarship is open to Mexican citizens who will be graduating secondary school in the summer of 2019 and intend to study in the B.Arch program.  The scholarship covers tuition and fees and is guaranteed for five years—the full length of the undergraduate program.

The GAYA Scholarship is initiated by Fernando Gutierrez, SCI-Arc board member and General Director of Mexico City-based firm GAYA, with funding to be sponsored by the firm. “As a Mexican company with thirty-three years of experience in construction services, GAYA is honored to fund a full scholarship for one Mexican student to attend in SCI Arc Los Angeles. We firmly believe that this deserving individual will receive a world-class education and join the ranks of top tier professionals and architects that SCI-Arc produces,” says Gutierrez. “We are happy to support the excellent education that SCI-Arc provides, and we are certain that closer ties between nations, institutions, and individuals is the key to better practices, better architecture, and better living standards for all living creatures—regardless of nationality.”

GAYA is a synergy-focused contractor working with various architects and specializing in large-scale projects that span cultural and commercial sectors. Their recent projects include the Central Library at Tecnológico de Monterrey, the restoration of Museo Amparo in Puebla, and the CENTRO College for Design, Media, and Film in Mexico City, the first higher education institution in Mexico to obtain the LEED® Platinum Certificate granted by the United States Green Building Council (GBC) for good practices during the construction process.

 “SCI-Arc is committed to growing an enduring relationship between Mexico and Los Angeles,” says SCI-Arc Director Hernan Diaz Alonso. “I’m thrilled that because of Fernando Gutierrez’s foresight and GAYA’s generosity, an outstanding student from Mexico will be able to come to Los Angeles to study at SCI-Arc on a full scholarship.”

In keeping with SCI-Arc's commitment to diversity and extending opportunities to students from various backgrounds, the GAYA Scholarship will foster collaboration, scholarship, and understanding across two of the most dynamic metropolises in North America. SCI-Arc is eager to grant this opportunity to an outstanding student who is passionate about architecture and whose academic performance, portfolio and overall application meets SCI-Arc standards for acceptance.

The GAYA Scholarship deadline is April 1, 2019. Interested applicants must apply through The Common Application and are encouraged to contact admissions@sciarc.edu for more information.

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About SCI-Arc Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) is dedicated to educating architects who will imagine and shape the future. It is an independent, accredited degree-granting institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture. Located in a quarter-mile-long former freight depot in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, the school is distinguished by its vibrant studio culture and emphasis on process. SCI-Arc’s approximately 500 students and 80 faculty members, most of whom are practicing architects, work together to re-examine assumptions, create, explore and test the limits of architecture. SCI-Arc faculty and leadership have garnered more than 500 national and international design awards and recognitions, including Progressive Architecture awards, American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards, and the prestigious Jencks and Pritzker architecture prizes. U.S. DesignIntelligence recently ranked SCI-Arc #4 in Graduate Programs Most Admired by Deans and Chairs in its 2018 America’s Best Architecture Schools survey. SCI-Arc’s Undergraduate program ranked #8 in the DesignIntelligence 2018 survey. SCI-Arc is located at 960 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013. www.sciarc.edu