Student Feedback

On Aug 23, 2022, at 5:20 PM, Kunyuan Chu wrote:

Dear Professor Rick:

Hope everything goes well with you!

I finally decided to go to HKU and join in their two-year MLA program.

Thank you so much for your suggestion when I felt confused about the
application. You suggested I give it a try, which is one of the most important
reasons I can be here now.

The experience I had in the past year is an opportunity for me to change in

my thinking about “landscape design”. What contributes this change the
most, as well as what I am the most grateful for, is your guidance and trust
in me over the past year. Learning from you is the beginning for me to truly
understand and love this major. I can say that meeting you is one of the
greatest blessings of my life.
Student #1: Chen Echo

November 24, 2020

Hi Rick

Good morning! I mention first this letter is not flattering. Tonight, I read a short post in Zhihu
which similar with Quora. This post is talk about who is the best teacher he even meet. Then I
think about you. After I read that post, I feel I am so lucky can be your student. I remember that
when I discussed traffic analysis with you last time, you gave me many suggestions, such as not
putting useless lines in the map. Remember, when I first discussed with you, you gave a very
unique insight. These gave me ideas for my future landscape design. You are a great professor.
To be honest, you are my favorite professor. I wrote this letter in advance, mainly because I saw
the post and sent it with feelings. I feel I need to tell you. So....

Have a good day! Take care

Chen

Student #2: Karry

October 14, 2019

Hi Rick,

It has been a while for contacting you, how are you recently? I’m Karry and I’m just trying to say
Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!! Thank you for being such a brilliant professor in my bachelor degree,
especially in the last year for me studying in Canada. I feel like I’ve learnt numerous stuffs from
your teaching, like every suggestion you gave me for my design assignment. I still remember
your suggestion about the vertical wave boardwalk along the lakeside in Tatamagouche. It’s all
about making it interesting, getting the design interesting. It really affects my projects in my
portfolio, as well as the importance of interaction between environment and human-being.

By the way, I’m still preparing the portfolio right now and almost finished two projects. One is
about the snow related landscape in Syracuse City, where snow energy is an essential future
energy to alleviate other resource burden. The other one is about the ecological landscape in
Napa Valley, which is trying to seek a better planning combined with wine industry development
in Napa and carbon equilibrium in an ecological aspect, since wine industry, including grape
harvesting, grape process, packaging, and transportation, has a high carbon emission industry
chain. Anyway, Thank you for your last year teaching and your reference. I might need your help
if they are requiring uploading the digital reference. I wish I could receive dream school offer
with your kind help.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving Day!

1
 Cheers, Karry

Student #3: Dongyang Zun

November, 2020.

I know that you have always cared and urged me, and encouraged me to go through this difficult
time. I am very grateful to you. You are one of the best teachers I have met since I first studied
abroad. I hope that if I am lucky enough to meet you in the next semester of LARC 4001 course, I
will be very happy to spend a wonderful studying time with you.

Student #4: Yuxiang Liu

Hello Rick,

Hope you are doing well. I am very excited to tell you good news that I got admission offers
from UBC in Master of Landscape Architecture (advanced standing) and Master of Urban
Forestry Leadership. And I got a scholarship of $12,500 from MLA advanced standing.

I am very grateful for your support for my application, and I miss you very much for you help in
my undergraduate studies at DAL AC. It is no exaggeration to say that you are the teacher who
helped me the most during my undergraduate years. By the way, I want to share my recent with
you. Since I graduated from DAL, I started several internships. I have finished my four-month
internship at China Academy of Urban Planning & Design (Beijing) in March and participated in
the urban design of Guangyang Island in Chongqing. Now I am continuing an internship at WEI
studio https://www.weistudio.net/ . The job here is completely different from previous
internships. I can design some landscape on my own, and the efficiency here allows me to learn
a lot. In less than a month, I participated in the Shenzhen Central Ridge Park competition, the
Shenzhen Children’s Park project (this is a project will be constructed), and the bridge design
and urban design of the Xiong’an New District. In addition, LIN is also doing an internship in this
studio. We often cooperate to design, and the boss also appreciates our design very much. Both
of us miss you very much. Could you make a video call with us when you are free?

I hope to express my gratitude in person when I come back to Canada. Have a good day.

Regards, Yuxiang

2
 Student #5: Feinyan Lin

Hi Rick

Good morning!

I never realized that time goes fast by. But I have too say it is the best thing in my life to
meet you and study with you. I really happy about it and feel so sad we could not have
face to face chat because of COVID-19.

This year is the best year in my college time. I learn a lot of time from you, not only
about landscape architecture knowledge but also how to look at life. Last year, I had the
worst November of my life. You are the one who told me how to solve this problem.
And also, I will never forget the thing you told me, I am young and still have a lot of
chances to try.

I will remember what you teach me and what I learn from you.

Student #6: Han Xie

December 25, 2019

Dear Rick

Merry Christmas!!!! Hope you enjoy your holiday!!!

Thank you for supporting me and you are literally a good teacher along the way!!

Student #7: Selena DeWolf

May 27, 2021

Dear Rick

I cant thank you enough for being the ‘push’ I needed this semester. Your guidance and
feedback helped me create strong designs that I am really proud of, and the weekly face-to-face
meetings made me feel less along in this crazy online school year. I realize this year took a tool
on students AND teachers – I truly appreciate you took to make the studio as interesting and
interactive as possible.

Take care and stay safe.

Sincerely.

Selena DeWolf