Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- The College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, at Kansas State University is recognizing five alumni for their success 10 years after their graduation from the university.

The honorees are Manjula Boyina and Diwakar Vadapalli, both from Anchorage, Alaska; Elena Vossman Scott, Summit County, Colo.; Matthew Sturich, Austin, Texas; and Katie Hoke, Seattle, Wash.

The honorees, all from the class of 2003, where selected by the department from which they received their degree. They will visit Manhattan Nov. 7-8 to meet with students and faculty, participate in class and studio visits, and be honored at a luncheon. An exhibit of their professional work will be displayed in Seaton Hall's Chang Gallery through the duration of their visit.

Boyina is a master's degree recipient in regional & community planning from Kansas State University. She also earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 2000 from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, India. She is currently a research analyst at the Division of Regional and Community Affairs, Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development in Anchorage. She maintains databases and conducts research within her department. She also was a senior planner at D.B. Hartt Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio, where she worked with both public and private sector clients on comprehensive plans, zoning codes and private development projects. Boyina has been awarded the American Planning Association's Divisions Council 2010 Division Achievement Award for the 2009 World Town Planning Day Online Conference, as well as a 2010 Exemplary Service Award from the International Division of the American Planning Association.

Vadapalli, who is married to Boyina, is a master's graduate in regional & community planning from Kansas State University. He also has a bachelor's degree in architecture from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, India, and a doctorate in social welfare from Case Western Reserve University. His doctorate studies focused on voluntary membership preferences. He is an assistant professor of public policy at the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, where he has also taught in the public administration and social work departments. In addition, he taught at the School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western. Vadapalli currently serves in leadership positions with the Alaska Evaluation Network and the Citizen Review Panel, an organization that evaluates the policies and practices state's child protective services.

Scott earned a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from Kansas State University and received the Outstanding Graduating Senior Award from the landscape architecture/regional & community planning department. After graduating, she moved to Denver, Colo., where she joined Norris Design as a landscape architect and planner. She has worked on a broad range of projects, including the redevelopment of an abandoned mall, now a successful mixed-use community; and the Town of Frisco's Main Street revitalization. In 2008, she took over Norris Design's mountain region office and her focus has been on integrating development into sensitive natural environments, parks and recreation, affordable housing, mixed-use communities and downtown redevelopment. Scott's Denver Housing Authority Sustainability Park was a finalist for the Colorado Sustainable Design Awards and received a Mayor's Design Award in 2011. She is a leader in community engagement, having worked statewide with communities of all sizes. Scott's experience gives her unique perspective to guide communities through the planning and design process and help them identify future needs and opportunities. In 2011, she was promoted to principal and became a partner at Norris Design.

Sturich earned his bachelor's degree in architecture from Kansas State University and was awarded the architecture department's Heintzelman Prize for design excellence. He continued his graduate education at the university, earning his master's degree in 2005. His graduate studies focused on exploring architectural narrative and programming through nostalgia, image and film. His thesis project included a short film that demonstrated how the ideas of memory, material and space inform the design process. He moved to Austin and joined Miro Rivera Architects, one of the leading new architectural firms in the U.S. The firm has been recognized nationally and internationally with more than 50 design awards. In 2011, Sturich was named an associate of the firm for his leadership and outstanding contributions. He has worked on a variety of project types ranging from high-end residential to commercial and institutional. Most recently, he served as the associate responsible for the Grand Plaza, Amphitheater and Observation Tower at the Circuit of the Americas, the first Formula 1 purpose-built track in North America. This project is featured in the October 2013 issue of Architectural Record as well as numerous leading publications such as the New York Times, Details, Architizer and Archdaily.

Hoke, a licensed interior designer by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification, earned a bachelor's degree in interior architecture from Kansas State University. After graduating, she attended the Summer Furniture Design Program through Denmark's International Study Program, where she received her certificate of furniture design studies. An avid equestrian, she has served as project manager and creative director at White Horse Barns in Seattle, designing and developing a line of high-end horse stables and riding arenas. In 2007 she joined McClellan Architects in Seattle, where she developed and leads the interior architecture and design studio. Her professional portfolio consists of high-end commercial interiors, retail design and custom residences. Prior to her work as senior interior designer and project manager for McClellan Architects, Hoke worked as a project architect with the Seattle office of Gensler, where she designed and managed commercial interior projects for retail, workplace, civic, and large commercial projects ranging in scope from 2,000 square feet to 300,000 square feet. Hoke has an active history of volunteerism, and values high-level design and team collaboration. She believes that the interior design and function should reflect the client's life and habits, providing the optimal environment in which to feel relaxed and at home.