Mayda is from Wilmington, Delaware, where she experienced 4 years in the Foster Care System. Despite being a runaway at 15, Mayda did not let that stop her from achieving greatness. Fast forward, Mayda is a rising senior at Delaware State University, majoring in Social Work. She plans to pursue her Masters also in Social Work & plans to one day become an Independent Living Provider. She is actively involved in her community, currently serving as Miss Dover USA advocating for foster youth! She is a state youth ambassador and mentors many of the foster youth in her state. One of her biggest accomplishments she is proud of is when she worked alongside Delaware State Governor, John Carney, and inspired him to start the initiative to allow Foster Youth to attend college tuition-free. 

Mayda is also actively involved in her school campus. She is president of a foster care based organization called Companion Champions whose mission is to uplift the mind, body, and soul of foster youth in the community. During her free time, she enjoys cooking and hanging out with friends. 

 

Mayda hopes to inspire other youth that they can do anything they put their mind to. Her favorite quote to live by is “Your Past will Never Define Your Future” and she will continue to live by this quote. Her biggest advice for anyone experiencing the system is, “To take any opportunity given to you and never let anyone tell you, you can’t do something.”

State(s)
Image