Meet Maya!
Get to know Maya, a first year new member of HerCampus!!
Q: Where are you from? Where were you born?
A: I was born and raised in California, specifically Orange County. I was born in Lakewood and spent my whole life living in Cerritos. In terms of my background, I am Philipino. My mom came to the US when she was 7 and lived in Chicago for a while before moving to California. My dad is from Washington and moved around to Missouri before finally settling in California, where my whole family is now.
Q: What was your childhood like?
A: I grew up with my little sister, who is three years younger than me. We went to a private Catholic school for grades K through 8, and regularly went to church in school and with my family every week. Religion played a big part of my childhood, and I was very close to my family- literally. My grandmother and my cousins lived two blocks away from me, and we spent a lot of time together and have a loving connection. Even with growing up in a sheltered environment, I still am very outgoing. I did gymnastics, played piano, and danced, to name a few things. I began dancing competitively at the age of 9.
Q: How would you describe your teen life and high school experience?
A: My teen life was a continuation of my childhood, now with me seeking more independence. After graduating middle school, I attended an all girls Catholic high school. At the time I didn’t really want to go, but looking back now it was a good experience. My parents would have allowed me to go to public school if I really wanted to, but I pushed through with what I knew they believed was best for me and in retrospect I am glad I did. My high school was a tight knit group of girls, and everyone around me was super driven and successful. Being in this setting was really motivating and the all girls environment pushed me to focus on school. I was very involved as well; I did ASB, song team, yearbook, soccer, and I still did dancing competitively. The school grind taught me a lot about myself and my work ethic and what it takes to reach my goals. Because of the setting I was in I was able to internalize all of this really early. Even now, Religion is still important to me; I volunteered a lot in high school back at my church. I worked at the camp I used to go to because I had a really great time there and I wanted to volunteer so that younger students could have the same good experience that I did.
Q: What college are you in? What are you studying?
A: I am a first year student in 7th college, and I am a Communications major. I almost came in undeclared because I was not 100 percent certain about what I wanted to do and I do not like making decisions I am not confident in, but a friend of mine was joining the Communications department and I did as well thinking it sounded interesting. My counselors were just happy I actually picked something, but now that I am in the program I really enjoy it and all the classes I’ve taken so far. I was interested in studying business, but since we do not have a business major I got a business minor; my concentration is in marketing since that is something I have interest in. I also am minoring in dance since that is a lifelong passion of mine.
Q: What are you currently involved in? If you work, what do you do?
A: I knew I wanted to join the UCSD dance team coming in, so I auditioned for it and made it on the team. I Found a roommate through it, and the team feels like family so I am happy for the outcome. I also went through sorority recruitment, since I felt like she would thrive in this environment coming from an all girls environment already. The values of sisterhood and philanthropy really spoke to me. Sigma Kappa was the first one I rushed for, but it had a great environment and I met great girls, and I am now a member. I am also in Betty Boarders, a girls surf club, and in DAM (Digital Arts and Media Org). In addition to this, I will be orientation leader for 7th in the fall in continuation of me being a school ambassador in high school, and as a plus for my communications experience.
Q: What made you want to join HerCampus?
A: It is a way to get involved with people with similar majors, interests, and career goals. Also it’s a good way to put yourself out there but also challenge yourself and creativity. I have been interested for a while, but the email from the communications department was the sign to apply. In addition, the all girls environment is very comfortable and I love meeting new people!
Q: What are some current projects of yours?
A: I am working on a few things right now, actually. I am in the process of choreographing a piece for a showcase show for my dance team, which is super exciting. I am also learning more about Her Campus and getting involved within the organization. Within this quarter I will be doing spring training for orientation.
Q: Are there any articles you are looking forward to writing about?
A: I am still brainstorming ideas, but I am interested and super excited about writing lifestyle type of things, like small business reviews, beauty tips, etc. I could talk about almost anything, but writing is a little different so I look forward to seeing how things go!
Q: What’s one thing you want to accomplish by 65?
A: One thing that has been really important to me all my life is dance, so I would like to maintain flexibility and strength over the years.
Q: If you could be in any movie, what movie would it be?
A: I would want to be in any High School Musical- one, two, or three- because I love all the songs and I pretty much know all the lines, so I could play any character!