Maya Lin

NAME: Maya Lin

BORN: October 5, 1959

COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS: born...Athens, Ohio (Athens County)

PARENTS: Henry Huan Lin (ceramist, dean of fine arts - Ohio University) and Julia Chang Lin (professor of literature)

EDUCATION:

graduated, Yale University, School of Architecture, B.A., 1981
graduated, Yale University, School of Architecture, M.A., 1986

OCCUPATION: architect, sculptor

FAST FACTS:

In 1980, while an architecture student at Yale University, Lin entered a national design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be built in Washington D.C. Her entry was chosen from among 1400 others. She was only twenty-one years old at the time.

Initially, the project was attacked for a variety of reasons, including aesthetics of the design and even Lin's heritage. However, this did not deter her efforts. Lin personally oversaw the construction process. The memorial was dedicated in 1982 and, over the years, has become one of the most widely revered and appreciated public memorials in the United States.

Lin currently manages a design studio in New York City.