Anaya Marshall, a fourth-year landscape architecture student, has been selected for the LAF (Landscape Architecture Foundation) Ignite program! She is one of only five students nationwide—and one of only two undergraduates—to be selected for the program, which supports BIPOC students in the profession.

Anaya will receive an annual $10,000 scholarship until completing her landscape architecture education, an annual paid summer internship, and various forms of mentorship. Selection criteria include design aptitude and commitment to landscape architecture and creation of a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable world. Ignite, now in its second year, represents a focused effort by LAF “to make the discipline of landscape architecture as diverse as the communities in which landscape architects work.”

Anaya, who is from Bolingbrook, Ill., also has a sustainability minor and intends to pursue a career focused on 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, our voices need to be heard and taken seriously. 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.”  – Anaya.

Anaya 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 American Society of Landscape Architecture, vice president of academics of National Pan-Hellenic Council of Ball State University, and vice president of Tau Nu Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in 2025, Anaya plans to go on to a Master of Landscape Architecture program.