“Maya helps graduate students with their research. [She] describes students’ excitement as infectious and says that it's a ‘joy to share in their experience’ with the ‘light-bulb’ moments being her favorite.”
When I last spoke to Maya B in August of 2020, we discussed her experience growing up around the U.S. She was also helping with the CCI Boston Local-Meet Ups program. And while not mentioned in the original profile, Maya had just started her job as a librarian.
Just from our short conversation, it’s easy to tell that Maya loves her job. Not only is it service-based, but Maya gets to spend her days diving head first into whatever people are passionate about. Oftentimes, Maya helps graduate students with their research. And while she may not be an expert in the subject herself, Maya describes students’ excitement as infectious and says that it's a “joy to share in their experience” with the “light-bulb” moments being her favorite.
Historically, libraries have been mostly white-spaces. So, Maya recognizes the value that her perspective as a BIPOC librarian can bring. In fact, she speaks highly of the community that can be found in libraries for BIPOC people. When she was a student, Maya was a Spectrum Scholar (BIPOC focused) and is a current Emerging Leader for the American Library Association. Today, she is still in-touch with many of the people she met through these programs and remains engaged in the BIPOC librarian community.
While pursuing her library science degree, Maya was also able to connect her studies to her identity as an adoptee. She worked on a project concerning data privacy and consumer genetic technology. Specifically, Maya investigated the effect of results from tests like 23andMe and their effect on identity formation. This project was important as genetic data and adoption studies are a generally under-researched area. Maya was even invited to speak on this topic at a Chinese Adoptee Alliance (formerly Families with Children from China New York) virtual webinar in 2021.
Today, Maya continues to explore her identity as a Chinese adoptee through a cultural lens. She enjoys the Chinatown in Boston and is learning to bit more Chinese and how to make more Chinese dishes at home. While doing so, Maya tries to remember to be kind to herself during these learning processes, which she thinks is important for other adoptees to remember as they explore Chinese culture too.
Humans of CCI profiled on Facebook in 2023.