Seven Students Selected for the Fourth Cycle of LAF Ignite

The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is pleased to announce the newest cohort of LAF Ignite, our scholarship-internship-mentorship program for BIPOC students.

Seven landscape architecture students have been selected for the fourth cohort of LAF Ignite. This multi-year program provides participants with an annual $10,000 scholarship, paid summer internships, and various forms of mentorship. Each year, 4-7 students are selected to join the program, and participation is ongoing until they have completed their landscape architecture degree.

These new awardees will join the four continuing Ignite students from previous cohorts. The 2025-26 cycle kicks off in September with facilitated virtual meetings and one-on-one mentor selection for the new students. Congratulations and welcome to the fourth cohort of LAF Ignite!

Sariyah Benoit
MLA Candidate
University of California, Berkeley

Sariyah's research interests include biomimicry for remediation, the unequal distribution of green spaces in urban areas, and social-emotional cartography. Her art, designs, and community workshops explore the intersection of communal spaces, cultural aesthetics, and equity in human-ecological interactions in coastal urban spaces. With a keen interest in Black spatial politics, embodied memory, and de-neocolonial design, Sariyah examines contemporary urban issues through a Black feminist lens. She holds a BA in African American Studies from Emory University.

Gabriella Bishop
BSLA Candidate
North Carolina A&T State University

Gabriella is deeply passionate about how thoughtful design of outdoor spaces can transform communities and enhance environmental wellbeing. Her future plans include pursuing a master's degree in a related design field, ultimately aiming to contribute to sustainable and inclusive urban and natural development projects. Outside of her studies, Gabriella enjoys Pilates and is an avid music lover, finding inspiration and relaxation in both.

Drea Blackburn
MLA Candidate
North Carolina State University

Drea is deeply motivated to transform our current food system into one that is equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient. They hope to use their landscape architecture skillset to support and amplify the ongoing work being done by farmers, non-profits, and grassroots leaders. Creating healing and restorative agricultural spaces, addressing economic development in rural areas, and exploring conservation and climate adaptation strategies are core factors that drive Drea's work.

Jeida Brooks
MLA Candidate
University of Virginia

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Crozet, Virginia, Jeida hold a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Her past research focused on maintaining human and non-human relationships through sound and architecture, as well as celebrating history and memory embedded in the landscape. Jeida hopes to continue this research with a new landscape perspective, incorporating ideas such as biophilic design and therapeutic landscapes.

Zakai Drew
BSLA Candidate
Cal Poly Pomona

Zakai is interested in the connection between the built environment and psychological health. He loves music, photography, animals, and nature, and sees landscape architecture as a way to channel all his passions. He hopes to find his  own creative language, design environments that positively affect the minds of people, and explore how landscape architecture can be used to point out social injustices. He is also super passionate about studying landscape architecture’s relation to fiction. 

Aisha Estrada
BSLA Candidate
Cal Poly Pomona

Before beginning her formal studies in landscape architecture, Aisha found early inspiration at Homeboy Industries, where she first explored her passion for design and community-building. This formative experience helped shape her path into the field of landscape architecture. As an intern at ONYX, Aisha has developed her technical skills. She approaches both her academic and professional journey with a mindset of growth, seeing every opportunity as a chance to gain valuable experience — in architecture and in life.

Frank Hicks
MLA Candidate
University of Oklahoma

Originally from Tulsa, Frank's journey into landscape architecture was shaped by his experiences as a young Black boy witnessing the environmental inequities in his community. He brings a deep love for nature and a strong commitment to social equity into his practice. His future goals include working on community-driven design projects that promote ecological restoration and inclusive public spaces. 

FINALISTS

LAF would also like recognize two finalists who stood out during the Ignite selection process.

• Stephanie Haynesworth, BSLA Candidate, Temple University
• Isaiah Ramsey, BLA Candidate, Michigan State University

About LAF Ignite

LAF Ignite was launched in 2022 thanks to the generous investment of 146 Founding Donors. Now in its fourth cycle, the multi-year program accepts 4-7 students each year who participate until they have completed their landscape architecture degree. Each new cohort joins the group of continuing students from past years, with up to 15 total Ignite participants at a time.

LAF Ignite students receive a $10,000 scholarship annually, are matched with a one-on-one mentor, and use paid summer internships to explore different career paths within landscape architecture.  

Landscape architecture professionals who want to get involved can:

• Become a mentor. On a rolling basis, LAF accepts applications from potential mentors for the next incoming cohort of LAF Ignite students.
• Host a paid summer internship. Each fall, LAF accepts applications from potential internship providers for the following summer.
• Donate. A financial gift to LAF supports Ignite and our other programs to strengthen research, cultivate leadership, and support the next generation of landscape architects.