Originally from Vermont, Maya moved to Saint Paul to attend Macalester College. She graduated in 2011 with a B.A. in Geography and English. During her time as an undergraduate, Maya worked as a writing tutor and supervisor in the Macalester Academic Excellence Center. She was also active in the Saint Paul community. She volunteered at Groveland Elementary School, completed internship with Casa de Esperanza and also worked with the University Avenue Transportation Project to conduct research on the Central Corridor Light Rail project. Maya studied abroad in Peru, is fluent in Spanish, and will be joining the VISTA cohort after spending the summer working in Spain.