A recent graduate of Western Washington University has become the first student in the country to receive a new national honor from the leading consortium of university urban planning programs, recognizing both academic excellence and a commitment to justice-centered community work.

Ladislao Quintanilla, who goes by Laddi and graduated in June 2026, was named the Study Urban Planning Spring 2026 Student of the Quarter by the Associated Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), a consortium of more than 100 university departments worldwide that offer degrees in urban and regional planning. Quintanilla is the first person to receive the award since the organization launched the program this year.

A Path Shaped by Community and Place

Quintanilla graduated with a bachelor's degree in urban planning and sustainable development from WWU's College of the Environment, specifically from the Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy Department (UEPP). The degree came with a specialty in housing, minors in environmental policy and sustainable design, and a certificate in social science data analysis from WWU's Sociology Department -- a layered academic record that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of planning work.

What drew Quintanilla to the field, they said, was a relationship to place, community, and the culture of collective wellbeing cultivated by their family's Marianas roots.

"I wanted to build practical skills, work with different communities, and understand how change actually happens on the ground," Quintanilla said. "I wanted to think about the future in a way that was useful to other people, not to satisfy my personal intellectual itches."

That orientation toward practical, community-facing work ran through every aspect of their time at WWU. Quintanilla completed a research assistantship with the UEPP department studying housing affordability in Washington state and nationally. They also worked with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Council on a participatory housing design and visioning project -- applied work that put planning theory into contact with real community needs.

Leadership That Extended Beyond the Classroom

Quintanilla's impact at Western Washington University extended well beyond coursework. As treasurer and then co-president of the student-run Club for Urban and Environmental Sustainability (CUES), they led fundraising efforts that sent dozens of urban planning students to the annual National Planning Conference, with all expenses covered -- an opportunity that many students at smaller or less-funded programs never get.

They also helped reimagine CUES to be more inclusive, bringing in a wider range of speakers, adding community-building activities, and offering skills workshops. A separate initiative, funded through a WWU Sustainability, Equity and Justice Fund award, created a peer mentoring program designed to support prospective and current students and increase the diversity of people admitted into the UEPP Department.

In 2025, the National American Planning Association awarded Quintanilla a Diversity Scholarship for students pursuing planning careers who will advance social equity in the profession. The recognition stacked with strong academic performance and hands-on community work to build a record that prompted Professor Tammi Laninga to nominate them for the ACSP award.

"Not only is Laddi a top student in the program, but their curiosity and critical thinking challenge the status quo," Laninga said. "Their leadership and commitment to social and environmental justice, collaborative spirit, dedication to making the department more inclusive, and passion for community-centered planning make them an inspiration to their peers and a true asset to the field."

What Comes Next

Quintanilla is committed to advancing just futures in planning, with an emphasis on Indigenous planning, housing equity, and the kinds of structural questions that ask who space is really built for. Their academic framing -- asking who gets pushed aside and what more liberatory arrangements might look like -- positions them squarely within a growing national conversation about how planning shapes who belongs in a city and who does not.

For WWU's planning department, the ACSP recognition is a marker of the program's national visibility. The department sits within the College of the Environment, which has long emphasized the intersection of environmental and social issues in its curriculum. Quintanilla's recognition as the first-ever recipient of the Student of the Quarter award reflects both their individual achievement and the strength of the faculty and programming that supported it.

The ACSP also published an interview with Quintanilla and Professor Laninga through its Study Urban Planning platform, offering a deeper look at their research and perspective on the field. Western Washington University's Bellingham campus has produced a number of notable alumni in planning, public policy, and related fields, and Quintanilla's recognition adds to that tradition.

For more on Western Washington University programs and student achievements in Bellingham, see recent WWU news coverage.