Workshop Attendees

News - Workshop Attendees

Thousands of professionals and students continue to take the acclaimed and popular BeLoose Graphic Workshop every year.  Many of them have become principals or owners of the firms or companies after the great experience.  We congratulate them for their accomplishments.

Tiffany Lin (Mike Lin's niece who took the workshop when she was 12) has just graduated with Distinction from Harvard Graduate School of Design with master degree in Architecture. She is also awarded the Clifford Wong Prize in Housing Design as well as the Department of Architecture Faculty Design Award. Her 12 years old Before/After drawings during the workshop are displayed on our web site home page. Currently, she is a professor of architecture in a major university in New Orlean, we all feel honor and are so proud of her accomplishment.

Our 2003 workshop participants Jose Aguilar, Timo Harrison, and Saori Tsukamoto of UNLV have won the first place in the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) national 2003 student design competition. Their presentation boards were the only one that had hand drawn renderings and all the other winners had 3d max, autocad etc. We would like to celebrate their hard work and achievement and their instructors at University of Nevada in Las Vegas for their great guidance.

We would like to congratulate Kristina White of University of Guelph and Jennifer K. Margison of University of Nevada, Las Vegas for their winning of the 2003 ASLA national first place in undergraduate individual award. Both of them took our two day graphic workshop at their school. Their faculty members should also be commended for the effort on their achievement.

"Kenny Kuo-Liang Liao and Susan Atkinson won the 2003 ASLA national first place student team design award and will be recognized in the ASLA national meeting in New Orleans in November. Kenny took a two day session with us in Arlington Texas, and Susan took the 12 days graphic workshop in Kansas. We would like to congratulate them for their accomplishment, also to the faculty members of the Landscape Architecture Department at University of Texas - Arlington for a fine job they have done for their students and the program.

"Mike, I have been drawing a lot lately and wanted to say thanks for teaching me great tricks and technique that I learned from you last year. I have made about $3,500.00 this past school year by selling renderings and perspectives. Thanks again." Nate Kappen, Washington State University.

Melina Jin, participant of January 2003 has just won the first place in the AIA Las Vegas design competition and received $1500 scholarship. Her design project "Beach House" has captured Jury's attention due to her unique design and beautiful presentation and rendering skills. We celebrate her success and wish her becoming a great Korean architect in the near future.

Participant Rob Gurdison from January 2003 workshop just did a beautiful rendering which will be used to help raise $4 M for Andre Agassi in Las Vegas. The Agassi Foundation's marketing department saw a few of Rob's quick and nice renderings and had him do additional 8 large renderings to help their non-profit organization to raise money for underprivileged kids in their community. We congratulate him for his great achievement.

Mike, I was in your January workshop in 2003. I just wanted to thank you again for your time, patience, and wisdom. In the subsequent months I having been working feverishly to revise my architectural portfolio to begin looking for a new job. It's paid off. I landed a great design position in the Florida panhandle along the emerald coast. I am relocating near the city of Seaside in one week to live and work along the beach ....literally. While there may not be much zig zig along the horizon at the beach, there is plenty of color glow, color pair, and every sea shell is a professional dot in the sand. Thanks again for everything! See you on the beach. Todd Bramuchi

Rich Shaul, a formal participant just received the National IDSA merit award from Arizona State University and will go to Pasadena California to speak to the national conference as a representative from ASU. We congratulate him for this great achievement.

"I had the opportunity to make new contacts at one of the biggest architecture firms in Las Vegas. Because I have great rendering and architectural drawing skills learned from your workshop, I was hired instantly.
Hadn't you come to teach at our school I would have never had this opportunity. Thank you again for making a difference in our careers." Ana Teves

Glad to hear that a formal workshop participant Jessica Leak got the job that she recently applied for the Portland Trail Blazers. This company had 150 applicants applied, and decided to offer her the position is because of her great attitude, creative resume, portfolio and an excellent design background. The company was very impressed with the Mike Lin graphic workshop establishment and her experience being a TA twice for the workshop. Jessica said: "I really appreciate Mike's help and support throughout these past couple of years. I am so glad that I attended and involved in three workshops and am realizing how much they have helped me in my daily and outlook on life (not just the graphic and design aspects). Thanks Mike! I definitely owe you one."

A past participant, Brian Lin was working for Sasaki Associates, Inc. in San Francisco is part of the team that has just received first place to design the Olympic Park, 2008, in China. Eighty seven plans were submitted and described by the judges as displaying an abundance of culture, creative ideas, and strong Chinese character. Of these, the conceptual plans from Sasaki were chosen together with a proposal from Tianjin Huahui Engineering and Architect Design Company. Congratulations to Sasaki Associates, Inc. for the wonderful job. Brian is now working for EDAW in San Francisco as an urban planner.

Jeanine Gunderson from University of Idaho was elected as vice president of the American Institute of Architects, student chapters. She was the president of AIAS at her own school, and sponsored a two-day hands-on graphic workshop from Mike Lin. Nearly 150 students and professionals participated in Mike’s visit. With this kind of leadership, it’s no wonder that she is now working at the national level. We wish her luck to continue a super job on behalf of the students’ AIA.

John Yancey (AIA, ASAI) of RTKL Associates, Inc. in Dallas, Texas, a past participant of the workshop, won the ASAI national competition’s outstanding juror’s award in 2000. Congratulations for attaining this level of success in illustration.

"Mike, I have a good news to share with you....I just got nominated to receive the award for most the outstanding second year student in the interior architecture and will get the award directly from the International Interior Designers Assoc. Imagine that only two students in the whole Region have had the opportunity to be members every year...I think that I owe you a big thanks and your workshop have a lot to do with it." Cristina Ventre, UNLV, NV

"After taking the workshop, anytime I show any of my work to a professional, they always ask if I've
been to Mike Lin's workshop. And thanks to the graphic skills I learned during your workshop, I won a HOK design competition and received a cash prize and an internship." Jared Acy, Mississippi State University

The workshop now has a total of over 60 married couples who met while attending the two week session in Manhattan, Kansas. We wish them continued happiness in marriage. If you are still single, this may be further reason for you to join the workshop and to find a future spouse.

If you have any great news to share with us, please contact Mike Lin