Six Students Selected for the Fifth 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.
Six landscape architecture students have been selected for the fifth 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 nine continuing Ignite students from previous cohorts. The 2026-27 cycle kicks off in September with facilitated virtual meetings and one-on-one mentor selection for the new students. Congratulations and welcome to the fifth cohort of LAF Ignite!
Derrick Bradley II
BLA Candidate
North Carolina A&T University
Derrick J. Bradley II is a landscape architecture and pre-law student at North Carolina A&T State University, passionate about using design as a tool for advocacy and community empowerment. His academic and professional interests center on environmental justice, food access, and equitable land use in underserved communities. Derrick has gained hands-on experience through design internships and community-based projects, where he has seen the direct impact of thoughtful planning.
Schylerr Gilmore
MLA Candidate
Temple University
Schylerr is currently enrolled in graduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, pursuing a MFA in Landscape Architecture. Schylerr is driven by a passion for new challenges; their passion has taken them from a career in advertising and marketing, to five years as a paramedic, and now two years in greenscapes. Whether through creative storytelling, mitigating emergencies, or ecological stewardship, Schylerr seeks to inspire change through art, action, and advocacy.
Heather Holyan
MLA Candidate
Arizona State University
Heather Holyan is an MLA student at Arizona State University (ASU), with a research focus on educational and play environments within an urban setting. Her current design focus explores green and blue infrastructure within a desert climate and sustainable practices of reclaiming water. Heather hopes to apply her education towards creating landscapes that people care about stewarding green spaces, their community, city and their children.
Aquilla Igwe
MLA Candidate
University of Michigan
Odera Igwe holds a BS in Environmental Science from Chatham University and is currently pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture at U-M’s School for Environment and Sustainability. Odera’s work centers on advancing environmental justice and inclusive design. Her interests include education, ecological design, and using landscapes as a tool to empower and mobilize marginalized communities. As someone who grew up witnessing disparities in green spaces and who has worked with communities passionate about environmental repair, Odera recognizes that landscape design is a tool for both resistance and recovery.
Logan Lukonaitis
MSLA Candidate
SUNY College
Logan Lukonaitis holds a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture, a Minor in Native Peoples and the Environment, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Landscape Architecture, all at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Shaped by growing up on the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation, Logan looks to incorporate Haudenosaunee values and life ways into his work in as many ways possible. He looks to create spaces that foster community, reinforce culture, encourage ecosystem health, and invest seven generations into the future.
Brenda Palacios Rodriquez
MLA Candidate
University of Pennsylvania
Brenda Abigail Palacios Rodriguez is an Awakatek Maya student pursuing her Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and community-led practices, her work weaves together cultural preservation, ecological design, and advocacy for the rights of Indigenous peoples. She is inspired to create spaces of healing, connection, and restoration by uplifting stories of the land and becoming a co-steward alongside communities.
FINALISTS
LAF would also like recognize four finalists who stood out during the Ignite selection process.
- Zuri Askew, BSLA Candidate, North Carolina A&T University
- Marissa Wiley, MLA Candidate, Mississippi State University
- JoQuan Dent, BLA Candidate, Virgina Tech
- Steven Knight, MLA Candidate, University of California, Berkeley
About LAF Ignite
LAF Ignite was launched in 2022 thanks to the generous investment of 146 Founding Donors. Now in its fifth 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.
