Maya Smith

Background

About Maya Smith

As a DEI professional, I have worked in the field of Education for about 6 years. After noticing racial disparities on my college campus for pre-law students, I decided to charter a diversity based pre-law chapter on my campus. I also mentored students in the Westminister area which ended up sparking a new love for teaching. After graduating with my degree in African-American Studies, I went on to teach Ethnic Studies by way of the Lynwood Unified School District for several years. During my time at LUSD, I was an active member of the equity department where I worked closely with ESL, African-American, homeless and at-risk youth populations. Currently as a DEI Recruiter, my role focuses on promoting DEI initiatives to improve recruitment and retention in the field of higher education. This is in addition to providing support in navigating the professional school application process to increase equity among communities. A large part of my role is building strong relationships with faculty and leadership within the organization and other universities to reinforce the initiative of equity and inclusion, to ultimately create more representation in healthcare across communities. I truly have a passion for understanding the diverse backgrounds of others and have a strong social justice component to my work. The ability to confront bias and mitigate microaggressions is a strong component of the work that I do. My understanding of this work is more than my educational background but a lived experienced as both a Black person and a woman. DEI in the sector of healthcare education can lead to a better quality of life for communities who may have distrust in healthcare and ultimately fight to remedy health disparities.