Bio

Age 10, California

Favorite Subject: Art

Favorite Book: Lord of the Rings #3: Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkein

Favorite Music: Pink Floyd, Natasha Bedingfield, Yael Naim

A California Girl Scout, Maya boasts an impressive list of achievements, ranging from a proficiency in music (she plays both piano and flute) to skills in soccer. 

Maya’s strong desire to be a professional soccer player, however, has not kept her from pursuing visual art and drawing in her spare time.  She has an eclectic taste in music, ranging from Natasha Bedingfield to Pink Floyd. 

Maya’s first story for Scholastic was an exposé on the alleged discovery of Bigfoot. Maya attended a Bigfoot press conference, where three men claimed to have found the body of Big Foot. Maya was unconvinced. 

“First, Whitton and Dyer said they couldn't remember the date they found the body,” she wrote in her story. “Second, they did not reveal where they found the body or where they were keeping it. Third...  the photos handed out were very blurry images of the dead Bigfoot's teeth and mouth and of a brown blob in the forest.”   Maya was also perturbed by the mens’ focus on money.  “When asked how much money they expected to make from the find, [one of the men] said, ‘As much as we can.’ ”

Her instincts proved correct as the whole thing turned out to be a hoax.

Maya’s favorite part of being a good reporter is “getting to see cool things and write about them!” She sure got to do that on her first assignment!