Elizabeth S. Schmerling Endowed Scholarship

The Elizabeth S. Schmerling Endowed Scholarship was established in memory of Elizabeth Schmerling, who graduated from Washington University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. Elizabeth excelled in her studies and sought to help others study and understand the field she so loved. She continued her academic career at the University of Pennsylvania with the goal of earning master’s degrees in both architecture and landscape architecture. Shortly after embarking on her graduate school studies, Elizabeth was diagnosed with brain cancer. For nineteen months, while courageously pursuing treatment, she stayed focused on her graduate studies and a life filled with architecture. Elizabeth died on April 26, 2005, when she was 23 years old. Her parents and brother chose to honor her memory by establishing an endowed scholarship at Washington University.

The Elizabeth S. Schmerling Endowed Scholarship is a prestigious award that provides financial support for talented rising seniors who are on track to earn a bachelor’s degree in architecture. The scholarship is awarded annually to one or more recipients. Selection is determined by a committee of four faculty based on superior academic performance and scholarship; innovative thought and approaches to the science and art of architecture; and a commitment to the study and understanding of architecture that serves as an inspiration to professors and peers alike.

In addition to the scholarship, each recipient receives a significant architecture book as a memento to enhance their lifelong library. The book includes a custom-made bookplate, designed by two prior scholarship recipients, that is inscribed with each recipient’s name and the date the scholarship was awarded.