Lian Mae Agriam Tualla: Landscape Designer
She/they/isuna
Born in the rural mountains of Ilocos Norte, Philippines and raised in the agricultural town of Santa Maria, California, Lian Mae has always been surrounded by natural environments that have been grounded by local rivers and watersheds. She joins Watershed Progressive as an emerging landscape designer and is most excited to work at the intersections of environmental justice, indigenous land management, climate resilience, and placemaking. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from UCLA.
Their landscape practice is informed by experiences in storytelling, climate action planning, and community organizing. Some experiences they are most fond of include recording student activist accounts of the 1970s through documentary filmmaking at UCLA’s Center for EthnoCommunications; spearheading a climate workforce development program for disadvantaged youth at the City of Long Beach; and co-founding student organizations in environmental justice and diverse representation in landscape architecture. Ultimately, Lian Mae views landscape architecture as a vehicle to advance climate justice through participatory, regenerative design.
In their free time, they enjoy travelling, live music, baking, bicycling, and curating niche Spotify playlists.