At Witkin Hults + Partners, we are passionate about sharing our knowledge and experience with the next generation of landscape architects. On April 9th, 2021, we took part in the Set Effective 2021 Goals Workshop for Penn State and Florida International University graduating seniors studying Landscape Architecture. This online workshop was held via Zoom and connected ten students from PSU and ten students from FIU with our team.

The workshop was facilitated by Dr. William Ronco of Gathering Pace Consultants in Boston, and our President and CEO Andy Witkin acted as a co-host alongside Andy Cole, Director of the Ecology and Design Department of Landscape Architecture at PSU. We were proud to sponsor this event alongside The Woland Foundation, which is a not-for-profit organization that works to inspire the next generation of landscape architects.

The workshop was centered around goal setting, which is a crucial task for anyone about to graduate. While you can have the top grades in your class and plenty of work experience, without goals, it’s almost impossible to accomplish your dreams. The Set Effective 2021 Goals Workshop encouraged the students to write and implement both professional and personal goals that are inspirational and meaningful.

During our time together, we discussed creating a “Balanced Scorecard” for both professional and personal goals and looked at how to create goals that are inspirational yet realistic. We also took a deeper look into focus and visualization, which are two techniques that are helpful for achieving goals. From there, understanding why habits can help you achieve your goals closed out the session. The students worked together in breakout groups to discuss their goals with their peers, which resulted in an insightful and engaging conversation for everyone involved.

Following the event, B. Stephen Carpenter II, the Dean/College of Arts and Architecture at The Pennsylvania State University, contacted us to say, “Thank you, Andy Witkin, for your support and vision. The event was a positive experience for the students, and it has the makings of an annual event.”

With the challenges of the past year for students around the world and the limitations placed on hosting in-person events, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to connect with these university students. Giving back to the community is something we are incredibly passionate about, and it’s always a pleasure to connect with budding landscape architects to share our knowledge and experience. The students were clearly very passionate about their field of study, and we believe they will go far in the industry after graduation.

We understand that now more than ever before is a daunting time for aspiring landscape architects to be entering into the workforce. Goal setting and creating good habits are crucial activities for anyone who is about to graduate and will help to keep individuals on the path towards their dream career. It was a pleasure for the team here at Witkin Hults + Partners to be involved in this special event, and we look forward to connecting with more aspiring landscape architects in the future through similar events.