Profile

Maya Sriram is a 18-year-old aspiring entrepreneur in her freshman year at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Industrial Engineering & Operations Research.

Maya has a burning passion for business, which she expresses through a variety of avenues. She is the president of her school’s DECA chapter, implementing various new initiatives to help members succeed. At the DECA international competition, she was selected as a finalist for two consecutive years. She also consistently wins top three at regional and state conferences. She has also participated in business pitch competitions, consulting case competitions and many other business-related contests.

Maya enjoys giving back to her community, particularly within the field of education. She co-founded her own nonprofit, Art4Neuroscience, to raise money for pediatric neurological research. She has worked with many nonprofit organizations throughout her time in high school, including Aram Sei, North South Foundation, Edutine, and Blueprint Oasis. She also volunteers with the California Tamil Academy, the Mountain View Youth Advisory Committee, and Life Skill Learnings. As a result of her volunteer work, she received the Congressional Award Gold Medal and a Daily Point of Light Award. She has also received the President’s Volunteer Service Award three times.

Maya is incredibly interested in the fields of science and technology, taking every opportunity to explore them she gets. In 2022, she participated in the COSMOS summer program in the Nanochemistry and Nanotechnology cluster. She frequently volunteers to teach science classes, such as her work with North South Foundation as a Science PRO. Maya has participated in a variety of math competitions, including AMC and Mathleague. She has even organized math competitions for her school, such as the Math Kangaroo in 2022.

Maya also frequently joins technology-related events and hackathons. She was one of the grand prize winners at the Conrad Challenge Junior Hackathon, and has been a finalist in various other hackathons such as One Health and WilHacks. She judged submissions at the Code For Cause hackathon. She participated in the TrailBlazHER Innovation Challenge in 2021, becoming a finalist out of a pool of over 300 contestants. She also presented at the ChickTech conference about her technological journey as a young entrepreneur.

Maya has always enjoyed public speaking. She presents at various webinars, conferences, and events, such as the annual Girl Talk event hosted by XChange Academy where she’s spoken on confidence for three years in a row. She presents at various webinars, including as an emcee for Life Skill Learnings’ Learners’ Cafe and as a speaker at an anti-AAPI hate webinar for teens. She led a public speaking class in the fall of 2022. She has participated in speech and debate competitions such as the CHSSA Invitational, where she placed seventh for storytelling. She enjoys stand-up comedy, and she has presented self-written comedies at various events including a Toastmasters conference; she has also hosted multiple standup comedy classes. She dabbles in debate - she won fourth place in a Model United Nations competition.

Maya has participated in a variety of other clubs at her school, including Science Olympiad, Math Circle, ASB, NHS, Biology Olympiad, Science Bowl and more. She did not let COVID-19 stop her endeavors, working to pursue her goals in an online setting.