Growing up in the Philippines and later as a teenager in Winnipeg, Carl discovered how dramatically landscapes can shape stories. He was captivated by Winnipeg's unique setting—where prairie grasslands meet boreal forest pines, and quaking aspen trees shimmer through brief but brilliant summers.

This fascination with how landscape influences experience led Carl to study environmental design at the University of Manitoba. Collaborating with Indigenous communities on several projects as an undergraduate further deepened his understanding of how land holds and tells stories. Following an internship at Travis Van Liere Studio, he pursued his master's degree, developing a thesis that proposed transforming degraded SF Bay marshlands into a "disappearing park"—one designed to gracefully retreat as sea levels rise.

Carl holds a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Manitoba, and never gets tired of the sight of a quaking aspen tree.