Sunanda Sharmin, Associate ASLA

Passionate maker, outdoor enthusiast, Netflix binger, and maker of the best kacchi biryani this side of Bangladesh, you'd be hard pressed to find a more well-rounded landscape designer than Sunanda. Did we mention she loves Cricket? She's a loyal fan of the Bangladesh National Team, even if it means staying up until 4:00 am to watch them live. But the real reason she is part of the Pland Collaborative team is because of her enthusiasm for creating places that inspire wonderful memories and improve the quality of life within a community. Sunanda feels she has more to accomplish in her career, but she is most proud of her involvement in the formulation of a proposal for the self-sustaining relocation plan of a Navajo community that was evacuated from their ancestral land due to uranium mining contamination. She helped produce materials that supported fundraising and advocacy efforts. And we're not the only ones who think she's amazing – she was chosen to represent her class and speak at graduation when she received her masters degree in landscape architecture from the University of New Mexico. Way to go, Sunanda!