UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tavia Mitchell, a third-year architecture student in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School at Penn State, was recently a recipient of DesignPhiladelphia’s 2025 Justice Alliance in Design Education (JADE) Fellowship, which aims to help create a more welcoming and inclusive culture for all students in architecture and design education.
JADE is a collaborative effort by Pennsylvania-based higher education schools including the Community College of Philadelphia, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, Drexel University, Penn State and the University of Pennsylvania. The primary objective of the six fellows in the cohort is “to design experiences for other design students that foster a thriving, joyful and inclusive culture.”
“I am honored to have received acceptance into the JADE Fellowship program where I will learn how to positively impact communities through design and inclusivity,” Mitchell said. “I am glad to join a program that values designing inclusively for community development, which is a personal career goal of mine.”
Fellowship recipients receive a $10,000 stipend award to support leadership development, career advancement, student organizing, and community outreach and service.
“I personally value community outreach/service, so that goal spoke to my heart when I first applied for the JADE Fellowship, and it was one of the many things that inspired me to apply for the program,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell, who is from West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, will return to her studies in the fall as the secretary of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students, Penn State chapter, and co-president of the Growth International Volunteer Excursion (GIVE@Penn State), which aims to “promote sustainable volunteer efforts, global-minded initiatives and environmentally conscious lifestyles” within the State College community. She is also a recipient of the Bunton-Waller Fellow Award through the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity at Penn State.
Mitchell said she credits Felecia Davis, associate professor of architecture, as her mentor and as one of the instructors who opened her eyes to the importance of creating positive design education communities.
As for her hopes and expectations of the program, Mitchell said, “I’m excited to grow as a student and spread the lessons I’ve learned to those around me so I’m excited to take what I will learn through the JADE Fellowship program to connect students in the design community at Penn State.”