Activating Youth – Maya Sriram

Everyone has a dream. Some people have really big, wild dreams. Only a few, however, are ambitious enough to chase their dreams. Maya is one of those people. Since she was 11, her dream has been to go to Stanford and get an MBA, and she’s been working everyday since to do so. To prepare for her aspirations, Maya participates in various math and science competitions at a national level. To fuel her inner businesswoman, she has a mini-notebook business. One of her favorite operations in her business is actually going door-to-door and interacting with people. She jokes, “It’s like trick or treating, but you’re getting paid!”. However, due to COVID, Maya doesn’t experience these methods of finding customers as often, so she is in the process of setting up a webstore. She also mentions how Aram Sei and helping others falls into her future, as she hopes to manage a business and/or non-profit in the future. She adds, “Aram Sei has been a great learning opportunity for me as when I grow up, I hope to also integrate helping others in my life even more. Aram Sei showed me how and who I can help, which has been very insightful.” In our conversation, one thing I really admired about Maya is the way she carried herself very confidently. She never hesitated, and always seemed super enthusiastic and passionate about everything. In her own words, she describes herself as “enthusiastic, ambitious, and intelligent.” To elaborate, she explains, “I really throw my all into everything I do, and I just really love being immersed in what I do. I’m ambitious because of my lofty goals, and how I’m constantly planning and working to achieve those goals. I’m also intelligent because I understand concepts easily, and I really love math and science.” Being so ambitious comes with being super motivated. Maya’s secret to this is just remembering what her goals are constantly. Apart from that, “I love helping others, and being someone people can really rely on. I just want to be known for doing something positive.” On a more individual level, Maya prides herself on being the “homework help center” for her peers. She never hesitates to help people inside and outside of the classroom. One thing that inspires Maya is her favorite quote which is, “Be bold enough to use your voice, brave enough to listen to your heart, and strong enough to live the life you’ve always imagined.,” which is a quote she tries to live by. Another song that inspires her is, “Hall of Fame” by the script. It’s about where you’ll be in a couple years, better than you are right now, which is a powerful and optimistic message for Maya. Overall, Maya is overflowing with an entrepreneurial spirit, and we at Aram Sei are excited to see how she shapes her future with us!