Ladislao Quintanilla named Urban Planning Student of the Quarter by ACSP
Western Washington University senior Ladislao (Laddi) Quintanilla has been named the Study Urban Planning Spring 2026 Student of the Quarter by the Associated Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).
This recognition celebrates Quintanilla’s outstanding academic achievement, exceptional leadership, and dedication to community–focused planning.
Quintanilla graduated in June with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and sustainable development from the College of the Environment’s Urban and Environmental Planning & Policy Department (UEPP) 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.
ACSP is a consortium of more than 100 university departments and programs worldwide that offer degrees in urban and regional planning. Quintanilla is the first to be honored in the organization’s new Student of the Quarter program.
Quintanilla said what drew them to planning is their relationship to place, community, and the culture of collective wellbeing cultivated by their family’s Marianas roots, and a desire to work toward a more caring and more imaginative future.
“I wanted to build practical skills, work with different communities, and understand how change actually happens on the ground. I wanted to think about the future in a way that was useful to other people, not to satisfy my personal intellectual itches,” Quintanilla said.
Their academic highlights include a research assistantship with UEPP to study housing affordability in Washington state and across the country, and a project with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Council on participatory housing design and visioning.
“I have focused my studies on housing, justice-centered planning, and the kinds of questions that ask who space is really for, who gets pushed aside, and what more liberatory arrangements might look like,” Quintanilla said. “Planning appealed to me not because it offers an abundance of solutions, but because it gave those questions somewhere to go. Planning provides a way to think politically, practically, and collaboratively all at once.”
In 2025, the National American Planning Association awarded Quintanilla a Diversity Scholarship for students pursuing careers in planning who will advance social equity in the profession and demonstrate academic success.
Quintanilla was also part of a team that received a WWU Sustainability, Equity and Justice Fund award to create a peer mentoring program in the department. The program supports, advises, and fosters a sense of belonging for prospective, new, and current students and aims to increase the diversity of students admitted into the UEPP Department.
They also played a pivotal role in the student-run Club for Urban and Environmental Sustainability (CUES). As treasurer and then co-president, Quintanilla led fundraising efforts to send dozens of urban planning students, all expenses paid, to the annual National Planning Conferences. They also supported a reimagining of the club to make it more inclusive and inviting by bringing in a wider range of speakers, adding community-building activities and offering skills workshops.
Professor Tammi Laninga was Quintanilla’s advisor and nominated them for the award, citing their many accomplishments while a student at Western, from attending conferences, engaging in and presenting research, and taking on leadership roles in the department, student club, and community.
“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.”
Looking to the future, Quintanilla is committed to advancing just futures in planning, emphasizing Indigenous planning and housing as a human right.
“I want to build a professional life that supports non-market housing alternatives, nonprofit housing reform, and policy advocacy, while staying connected to community-rooted and justice-centered planning,” Quintanilla said.
Learn more about Urban Planning and Sustainable Development bachelor’s and master’s programs on the College of the Environment website.
Jennifer Nerad covers Western's College of the Environment and College of Business and Economics for the Office of University Communications. Have a great story idea? Reach out to her at neradj@wwu.edu.