Applications will open August 2025 with an October 2025 deadline. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated.
Supporting Women in Architecture
In honor of Pat Sanchez, retired Principal and Business Manager at Opsis Architecture, AFO has partnered with Opsis Architecture to award the Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellowship, beginning in 2022.
Pat retired after 21 years as the business manager at Opsis, helping to shape the direction and values of the firm. She has long been a strong advocate for women in the profession, especially tied to common barriers that women experience. Pat worked tirelessly to find creative solutions to support staff, including establishing Opsis’ paid family leave policy, flex schedules, and creating opportunities for professional development.
About the Fellowship
The fellowship is available to women who are mid-career and looking to expand upon their work and professional development. The up to $3,000 monetary award can be used to attend professional conferences, local college course work, or specialty seminars focused on various aspects of the industry including design, firm management, building enclosure design, business development, leadership, etc.
AFO and Opsis encourage Oregon women who are practicing in the field of architecture to apply for the Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellowship. The candidate should demonstrate a strong interest in advancing specific aspects of their career. Applicants should submit a professional resume and written proposal, outlining both the candidate’s plan for utilizing the scholarship funds and how the experience will be used to further their personal career development.
Eligibility & Requirements
Eligibility
All Women who meet the following criteria are welcome to apply:
- Currently practicing within the architecture profession
- Minimum professional experience of 5 years in the architecture profession
- Licensure is not required
- Oregon Resident
Application Requirements
Please submit the following to support@opsisarch.com; subject line include “Pat Sanchez Fellowship”
- 500 word (maximum) proposal: Clearly outline the candidates professional background and interest in the identified area of study. Include an itemized breakdown of the candidate’s proposed use of fellowship funds – identifying specific classes, workshops, seminars or conferences this will be applied to. The proposed use of funds could be a combination of classes/events and can include related travel expenses. The awarded funds should be utilized between the dates of January and December of the awarding year.
- Professional resume
If you are not able to submit your application electronically, please print and mail it to Opsis Architecture, 920 NW 17th Ave, Portland, OR 97209. We will accept mailed applications postmarked by the deadline.
Fellowship applications are closed. The next cycle will open August 2025 with an October 2025 deadline. Subscribe to our newsletter to get notified when applications open.
Questions?
Contact:
Kim Ruthardt Knowles
Associate Director, Architects in Schools
kim@af-oregon.org
503-317-7537
2024 Fellows, Lisa Sato & Sarah Vaz
In partnership with Opsis Architecture, we are excited to announce our 2024 Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellow, Lisa Sato, and our 2024 Pat Sanchez Honorarium Recipient, Sarah Vaz!
Lisa Sato
2024 Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellow
Lisa is a Project Designer at Carleton Hart Architecture. With this fellowship, Lisa will develop her skills to become a better leader, mentor, supporter, and advocate for BIPOC professionals, especially women. She will use the fellowship funds to attend two conferences – NOMA and AIA Women’s Leadership Summit – as well as enroll in a course on leadership and public speaking. Ultimately, her goal is to leverage what she’s learned to help empower BIPOC women in our industry.
Sarah Vaz
2024 Pat Sanchez Honorarium Recipient
Sarah is a Senior Associate at Holst Architecture. She intends to use fellowship funds to attend ILFI’s Living Futures Conference 2024 and become an ILFI member. This will allow her to explore the human-centered approach to sustainability that is at the core of the Living Building Challenge, and to better correlate sustainability practices with principles of harm reduction and wellbeing that are key to trauma-informed design.
