Anaya Marshall, a fourth-year Landscape Architecture major at Ball State University, has been selected for the prestigious LAF (Landscape Architecture Foundation) Ignite scholarship program.
Ms. Marshall is one of just five students nationwide to be selected for the second cohort of LAF Ignite, a multiyear program for students of color that provides an annual $10,000 scholarship, an annual paid Summer internship, and ongoing mentorship opportunities.
Selection criteria for the LAF Ignite scholarship include design aptitude and commitment to landscape architecture, and the creation of a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable world. Ignite represents a focused effort by LAF “to make the discipline of landscape architecture as diverse as the communities in which landscape architects work.”
“Being a part of the second cohort of LAF Ignite is exciting,” Ms. Marshall said. “This scholarship will help me continue to pay for school and boost my networking ability, helping me form more connections within the professional world of landscape architecture.”
Ms. Marshall, a Bolingbrook, Ill., native, also has a Sustainability minor and intends to pursue a career focused on the creation of environmentally sustainable landscapes, including “green” cemeteries. She also is committed to advancing the place of people of color in landscape architecture.
“I’m especially passionate about representing African Americans within the profession, as it is a small community, and our voices need to be heard and taken seriously,” Ms. Marshall said. “Tributes to people, places, and events can be evoked through a landscape with the right components, and can support and encourage our communities for the better.”
Ms. Marshall has already gained geographically diverse professional experience through landscape architecture internships in Indiana, Illinois, and Virginia. On campus, she currently serves as secretary of the student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architecture, vice president of academics of National Pan-Hellenic Council of Ball State University, and vice president of the Tau Nu chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in 2025, Ms. Marshall plans to pursue a master’s degree in landscape architecture.