Biography
I grew up in a little town in the panhandle of Florida called Marianna. Upon meeting me and judging from my Southern accent – everyone thinks, I’m from GA, or TN, or AL, but, no, it’s Marianna, Florida. Technically, I can say that I’m from AL because my parents’ house/family farm is so close to the state line that I was actually born in Dothan, AL, but I was brought home from the hospital to Marianna, Fl, grew up in Marianna, FL, and graduated from the one and only “Marianna High School”. Might sound strange to some, but totally makes sense if you are a “Marianna local”.
I love being from a small town. I love being a third generation-farmer’s daughter. I grew up playing inside a “cotton module-er” while most girls my age grew up playing with Barbie and suffering through the terrible 80s haircuts their parents thought would look cute. As a small child, I was always a “Tom Boy” and my favorite thing was riding in the back of my Dad’s pick-up truck, wearing red cowboy boots, sitting on the wheel wells, with our family golden retriever, Molly. High school came and went, and that was fun. Then it was time to pick a major and get into college. In the Fall of 2005, I arrived in Gainesville, Florida and became a "Gator" at the University of Florida.
Majoring in Landscape Architecture was the perfect choice for me. It was a balance of technical construction and creative design. Some days I would be in my studio creating a grading plan for a plaza redesign on campus, and the next day I might be doing an artistic rendering for a “Color Garden” as a design for an annual landscape architecture competition in Paris, and the next, constructing a scale model of a greenroof as a sustainable design addition to the university’s President’s Mansion.
Along with learning a diverse set of skills as a designer at University of Florida, it was a great time to be a “Florida Gator”. During my time as a student we won four National Championships – two basketball and two football. Also, Landscape Architecture was a small major, so the 23 students I graduated with were all close friends. It was a great four years.
Two of my three summers at UF, I left Gainesville to pursue an internship elsewhere. In 2007, I interned at a boutique landscape architecture firm near Orlando, Florida for seven months. In 2008, I interned for a golf course design firm in Asheville, North Carolina for three months.
I returned from my summer in Asheville back to Gainesville for my senior year. During my final year as a landscape architecture major, I was required to complete a senior Capstone project. This project was to be based upon a theory that we were passionate about as a landscape designer. I chose to base my project, called Hilliard Isle, on the theory of a productive landscape. I designed the 400 acre site to incorporate pastures, farmland, and vegetable plots to support the planned community. I also focused on how to channel stormwater to minimize the need for irrigation, and, therefore, minimize the usage of potable water. The completion of this project led me to receive the 2009 ASLA Student Honor Award – one of only two awards received by graduating seniors a year at the University of Florida.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture in May 2009. Since graduation I have been hired to do contract work internationally, and have been pursuing various avenues in graphic design, landscape architecture, and art.
I have been very blessed in life, and have evolved tremendously as a designer in my lifetime. I have lived in and visited many exciting places in the past few years. (See photos of my most recent adventures below.) Soon, I hope to add new experiences to my story. I have big dreams and have every intention to channel them into something amazing.
And some even newer pictures...
Me cooking for Thanksgiving. Mom and I make a fabulous together every year - a tradition that I am very thankful for.
Christmas in Marianna - My sister and I in giant Gator Snuggie.
And a girls trip to New York City in the early Spring - Me, Mom, and my sister. It also happened to be Mom's Birthday so it was a big celebration.
Then, my 25th Birthday and the start of my "Journey to 30". See my
blog!
One of my new interests - playing the piano, and I love it! I have been teaching myself to play and read shape notes since January.
Another new interest - painting in a new medium. I've always done watercolor
only. I am now dabbling in acrylics. This was my first acrylic painting.
I currently live in
Orlando, Florida. I work for ValleyCrest - an international, multi-disciplinary landscape company. It's a fabulous company to be a part of and I work with great people.
I am always up for new project challenges.
If you have any creative ideas that you want brought to fruition, please contact me.
Check back for updates on me.
I look forward to adding more.
– Tanya
Jeremiah 29:11
