John Russell Beaumont, a Plan II and architecture graduate, has been awarded a Marshall Scholarship, one of the most coveted study abroad scholarships available.
Beaumont’s scholarship, one of 34 awarded this year, will fund his graduate education and help him pursue his chosen path as an architect or planner specializing in disaster relief.
He will be studying at the University of Manchester, as well as the Bartlett School of Architecture at the University College in London.
“This scholarship is an incredible opportunity,” Beaumont says. “I look forward to representing the USA in the UK and taking full advantage of my studies and the Marshall Scholar community to contribute to emergency housing and disaster relief practices.”
Beaumont’s passion for relief efforts was made clear in his 104 page senior thesis, Relief and Recovery: The Role of Architecture and Solidarity in the 2010 Chilean Earthquake Reconstruction, which the Plan II Honors Program cited as a “model thesis.”
“Russell has the knowledge, the moral force of character and the courage to address one of our major problems,” says Larry Carver, director of the Liberal Arts Honors Program. “He has the ability to determine how to provide housing that is affordable and functional, attractive and ‘green,’ for those who suffer from natural or man-made disasters.”
“Russell has the knowledge, the moral force of character and the courage to address one of our major problems.”– Larry Carver, director of the Liberal Arts Honors Program
The liberal arts side of Beaumont’s education provided an important counterbalance to the more technical side of his architecture curriculum. His Plan II degree allowed him to explore more abstract subjects, such as philosophy, social sciences and history. Beaumont also valued his small class sizes, motivated peers and passionate professors.
Beaumont emphasizes the importance of helping others and worked with Engineers without Borders and Habitat for Humanity, mentored freshmen in the School of Architecture, tutored math in high schools throughout Austin and worked with Overland Architects to help the homeless, all while he was a student.
This isn’t the first prestigious award Beaumont has received—the Albuquerque, N.M. native was awarded a Dedman Distinguished Scholarship as a freshman. He also received the Oglesby Traveling Scholarship upon graduation last spring, which allowed him to travel to South America to research emergency housing and post-disaster recovery. These experiences left Beaumont eager to continue traveling internationally.
“The UK, and London in particular, is a global center for both architecture and international development,” Beaumont says. “I look forward to being immersed in that environment and learning everything I can from the amazing work that will be going on around me.”