A native of Brazil, Maya has been on the Lick-Wilmerding Communications Team since July of 2023. She is truly student-centered, and a fierce advocate for equity and inclusion. Her work consistently helps our students and school shine.

Hear more from Maya in today's FacStaff spotlight!

What are you proud of doing in your work at LWHS?

I'm proud of Reasons to Roar. The eTiger has always been a rich source of information with important dates and opportunities—it’s not the best place to feature good news without those stories getting lost. So having the idea to create Reasons to Roar, and seeing our news page fill up with so many amazing stories of students and faculty doing beautiful work, I’m really proud of that. It’s a way to uplift everybody’s work and the school itself.

I'm also really proud of the photography that happens here. I’ve always loved taking photos and had done it for many years before coming to LWHS. Here, though, is where I’ve learned the most. For the last three years, I’ve been responsible for building this visual record, this archive, for the school. Whether it’s me taking the photos, which I love doing, or making sure another photographer is present, it’s part of my job to make sure the life of LWHS is being captured. Having those images so people can see them and save them—It’s such a valuable thing for this community.

Tell us about a teacher who had an impact on you.

I always had good relationships with my teachers, and I always loved school. I figured out early on: okay, if you're not the best student in class, you’ve got to charm your teachers! And I went through school my whole life doing that.

I liked many of my teachers, but one in particular was Cidinha, my English as a Second Language teacher in high school. She did a project where we had to bring song lyrics to class. For me, that was such a pleasure. People always wanted to partner with me because that was my thing; I loved learning English through music. We had to sing the song in English while she observed our pronunciation and vocabulary. I always felt proud of that because I did well. I appreciate her for helping me pursue my love of learning English. If you're not a native speaker, it’s really a craft. Cidinha was a truly good source of inspiration.

What is a skill or an activity that you enjoy?

I have a degree in fashion back in Brazil, and I love fashion—not only the runway, but also curating collections for retail. I would love to do more fashion production and photography, combining the skills I’ve honed here at Lick to do more fashion photography, styling, and visual communication. 

I’ve been that kind of person my whole life; friends will send me photos of their outfits or call and ask for advice. I was even invited by a group of students here to be the advisor for a fashion club, which was an honor.

I would also love to dance more. It’s a skill I have and I love; I think it’s such a good source of joy, embodiment, and confidence. Overall, I have these 'sleeping skills' inside of me—I’ve always liked being artistic around drawing and painting. In fashion school, I learned to paint on fabric and to engage my creative side. It’s a dormant skill that I would like to bring back—drawing or painting in some kind of way.

What are you looking forward to in your work?

Ultimately, I look forward to growth within myself and within our team and Communications at Lick-Wilmerding, because there’s so much potential for us. I look forward to implementing things I can't do right now because of time constraints. With so many responsibilities in a very busy role, I still look forward to achieving new horizons—to implementing new ideas, whether that is a podcast where we share stories and interview people, or more video, or something else that’s new and interesting.

I also look forward to learning—from my supervisor, from my colleagues, and also from students. While I'm not where I want to be yet, where I am now offers many opportunities to learn about the world, my job, myself, and others. I want to do what I do even better—more thoughtfully, more intentionally—and then have some room for ideation.

I’m looking forward to finding ways that we can leverage our work and keep it current, competitive, and fresh. I’m curious about how our communications could serve as a flagship or model for other schools. I want to stay up to date and innovative in a fast-changing world. Even if it’s one thing or innovation, I want to take that next step and not just be status quo.