Maya Matabwa, a first-year M.Arch student from the University of Illinois Chicago's College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts, is the recipient of the second Hartshorn and Plunkard Fellowship. 

The program officially launched in 2022 by awarding its first fellow, M.Arch student Martina Smith, and is named and funded in honor of UIC alumni Ray Hartshorne and Jim Plunkard of Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture (HPA). To increase the opportunities for architecture students from traditionally underrepresented communities, the fellowship provides students with financial support for up to three years, academic and professional mentoring, and a paid internship at HPA.

Matabwa, who was born in Malawi, shared with UIC Today that receiving the award is "still sinking in." 

Across academic institutions and firms, initiatives to create stronger pipelines, mentorship, and funding for students of marginalized communities have increased. "Being here as a young, Black, Malawian woman is an honor, and I am thankful that I get to represent these different groups and contribute to diversifying the field," Matabwa explained. "I know that it is fundamental for those that are coming after me to see me here and know that they can do it too."

Matabwa said that her time at UIC is aiding in her own pursuits as a design professional. "I really liked the way the program [at UIC] was set up, allowing us to approach architecture in a holistic way," adding, "This is the type of architect I want to be."

Matabwa received her B.Arch from the University of San Diego, where she focused her thesis work on land ownership and its impact on colonial Malawi. 

She shared with UIC Today that investigating this topic became the catalyst for her interest in researching "vernacular Malawaian architecture and the relationship between colonization and the built environment." Learn more about Matabwa's undergraduate thesis project here.

Interested in reading more about architectural fellowships? Don't miss Archinect's Fellow Fellows series, where we chat with individuals who are currently in, or have recently finished, an architecture fellowship.