Maya Ying Lin is an American designer, architect, and sculptor. Born in Athens, Ohio, she achieved national recognition at age 21 when her design was selected for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. through an open competition while she was still an undergraduate at Yale University. Her father, Henry Huan Lin, was a ceramicist and former dean of the Ohio University College of Fine Arts. Lin’s work blends architecture, sculpture, and landscape art, often exploring themes of memory, history, and the natural environment.