Maya Ying Lin, architect and artist

Maya Ying Lin grew up in Athens, Ohio. Her parents moved from China to the United States before she was born. They worked as college professors at Ohio University. Her father was also a ceramic artist, and her mother was also a poet. "Growing up, I was surrounded by the artwork and furniture my father made," she says. "Just as he had been influenced by the arts and crafts of his environment, so was I."

While Maya Lin was a student at Yale University, she designed a memorial for Vietnam veterans. The drawings on the right show her original design. Her design was chosen to become the official Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. She was only 21 years old at that time.

Lin has designed houses, gardens, a library, a museum, a skating rink, and other public buildings. Lin has also designed official sculptures to add art to city streets. She also helped select the design for the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City.