09/04/2026
Congrats to Christian Cockrell, student at University of North Texas, and recipient of a $2,500 Kate Hillhouse Undergraduate Scholarship!
Christian says, “As an Urban Policy and Planning major, our goal is to plan for the future and how we will be able to tackle future growth, whether that be population, economic, or resource demand. As an urban planner, my goal is to create an intersection between the human and environmental worlds. For too long we have continued business as usual when planning our cities, focusing on car dependent infrastructure and design that promotes urban sprawl, one of the main contributors to environmental destruction, replacing our native plants and ecosystems with exotic and sometimes invasive species, as well as water-hungry exotic lawns. Through my education, I intend to focus on ways to densify our existing urban footprints, which will contribute to a stronger local economy and city development, but also with better environmental standards, such as slowing urban sprawl and allowing us to preserve our ecosystem more. I will also focus on implementing native plants further into urban infrastructure through green bioswales, retention ponds, and other smart designs.”
Congrats Christian! Learn more about our scholarship program here: https://www.npsot.org/our-work/grants-scholarships/scholarships/
