Sara F.

Position: Design Principal

Department: Design Build

Time at Mariani: 37 years

Describe your job: I design outdoor environments.

Your first job here: Landscape Architect

Favorite thing about your job: I continue to learn and have had the pleasure of working with an extraordinary team.

Favorite things to do away from your job: Besides spending time in my garden, we entertain a lot and enjoy travel, time with family and long walks with my beloved pooch, Winnie.

What inspired you to become a Landscape Architect? I had a wonderful neighbor, Ginny, who was an organic gardener. She had the most amazing garden, including a vegetable garden. I followed her around, learning about plants and soil. She had both a beautiful garden and a fruitful one. My Father and I also spent a lot of time in our vegetable garden. Being outside in the garden was where I was and continue to be most happy.

Are there Landscape Architects, leaders, or designers that you admire and look to for inspiration or guidance? I am in awe of Frederick Law Olmstead, but Mother Nature never lets me down.

Advice you would give to someone pursuing landscape architecture: Be curious, Landscape Architecture overlaps with Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, Economics, Art, Horticulture, Entomology and Soils.

Final Thought: When you are in a space that inspires you, pay attention and try to figure out why. Living an art-filled life is a gift.