Maya V. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Maya is a recent graduate of Yale University, with a bachelor's degree in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and a minor in education studies. A New York City native, you can find Maya playing guitar in her all-girl punk rock band, sitting at the park reading a book, or hanging out with her younger siblings. Maya was one of 15 students accepted to the Drama program at the Professional Performing Arts High School, where she also served as co-founder and editor-in-chief of the literary magazine. In her junior year, she was selected to teach English in the Dominican Republic through the organization Global Glimpse, which she is still an active member of today. In her senior year, Maya completed a public policy project about the status of school counselors in NYCPS addressed to the Department of Education. She obtained perfect scores on both the AP Literature exam and the writing and english sections of the ACT, and graduated with honors. At Yale, Maya has served on the board of the Yale First-Generation and Low-Income Advocacy Movement as well as the Middle Eastern and North African Student Association. She has had creative fiction published in several of Yale’s literary magazines. Currently, she is attending an intensive six-week publishing program at the Columbia School of Journalism, where she is learning about all aspects of book, magazine, and digital media publishing. Maya believes creativity can be applied to any discipline and is excited to bring her passion for innovation, organization, and hands-on learning to the Curious Cardinals community. Maya has experience teaching all ages and is excited to help students figure out how their diverse interests interconnect!