This article previously appeared in the SDSU NewsCenter.
San Diego State University’s Associated Students (A.S.) has selected Tyana Ortiz, a first-year graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in Geography, as the recipient of the inaugural Glen Brandenburg Scholarship.
Launched in fall 2023, the scholarship honors a retired A.S. director of Facilities & Sustainability. Brandenburg, who in 1971 began a 52-year career with A.S. as a student employee, co-founded the Mission Bay Aquatic Center, an instructional facility for surfing, sailing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing, stand up paddling, waterskiing, kayaking, and windsurfing that opened in 1975. Other accomplishments include the installation of 1.75 megawatts of on-site solar power, the development of two A.S. LEED Double Platinum buildings, and the transformation of all A.S. facilities into LEED-certified facilities, a global designation for sustainable design and operations.
Awarded in October, the scholarship carries a $2,000 award and aims to support the continued education of students who share Brandenburg's commitment to making a positive impact on the environment and society.
“For me, receiving this award felt like a mixture of shock and excitement,” Ortiz said. “This is my first ever Aztec Scholarships award, so hearing that I was selected this time around made my heart drop. I thought, ‘Is this real?’”
As a child, Ortiz had dreams of making a positive impact on the planet. In her home state of New Jersey, Ortiz recalls how her family and their everyday practices during her childhood influenced her introduction to environmentalism.
“My grandma always had such a green thumb in the garden, which really stuck with me because I found it inspiring,” Ortiz said. “I felt so connected to and motivated by the diversity of the nature around us.”
Ortiz’s experiences of spending time in nature with loved ones and learning about environmental causes fueled her education and career choices. While earning her undergraduate degree in environmental science at SDSU, Ortiz has studied the field of placemaking, which incorporates sustainable values into the intentional design of public spaces.
Ortiz helped conduct a study investigating the relationship between urban gardens, gentrification and marginalized groups in San Diego, which she presented at the March 2024 SDSU Student Symposium. Ortiz hopes the newly generated information will spark policy to increase the availability of community gardens and create healthier neighborhoods for San Diegians and residents of other urban cities.
“Tyana’s leadership skills, kindness, passion for engaging communities and persistence in driving impactful projects suggest she will significantly advance sustainability efforts, fostering equitable and greener practices in her future roles,” said Lluvia Flores-Renteria, a biology professor and evolutionary ecology researcher who collaborated with Ortiz on a reforestation project in La Jolla’s tribal reservation, among other initiatives.
In her undergraduate senior year at SDSU, Ortiz served as Zero Waste co chair for the A.S. Sustainability/Green Love Commission, initiating change on campus and educating peers about the importance of diverting waste from the landfill.
Ortiz’s efforts extend to the greater community through her dedication to community service work, such as cleaning San Diego’s neighborhoods and beaches, planting native species at local reservations, removing invasive plants at the Tijuana River Estuary, and constructing the new Linda Vista Community Garden. Ortiz also interned at Tree San Diego, which works to increase the quality and density of San Diego County urban forestry.
One of Ortiz’s most notable accomplishments was meeting with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to discuss the future of agriculture and our ecosystems.
“A qualified candidate for this scholarship is not only invested in sustainability at SDSU, but motivated to spread wisdom and positive change wherever they work and live after graduating,” said Brandenburg. “Tyana has made a remarkable impact at SDSU and beyond and is the perfect inaugural recipient of this scholarship.”
Now in her master's degree program, Ortiz is focused on how social and human geography relate to the expansion of tree coverage. She is specifically assessing how tree planting affects community residents and how green spaces can promote unity and improved physical and mental health.
To support future scholarship recipients, go to the Glen Brandenburg Scholarship website.
“This award will go a long way for students,” said Ortiz. “It's an award that allows us to reflect on all our hard work and all our accomplishments. It’s an award for our initiative. It inspires students to continue or to start becoming involved with sustainability and that is so important.”
