According to business administration major Maya Choy ’21, “College is what YOU make of it.”
Choy took that message to heart taking on various on-campus jobs, external internships, and study abroad opportunities, all the while earning honors in her major as Outstanding Graduate in Marketing.
Choy participated in the competitive INTEX Fellowship in Xiamen, China. She also interned with WestCoast Children's Clinic, Grocery Outlet, Western Union, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). As a junior, she traveled to Rome, Italy and Paris, France during her semester at the American Business School. On the Whittier campus, she was an Educational Technology POET Intern, an Orientation leader, and on the team that brought The Walkers art installment to campus.
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Major: Business Administration, Concentration in International Business/Marketing
Computer Studies Minor
On-Campus Involvement/Activities: Thalian Society, First-Year Class Council, Student Mentor, and Orientation Leader.
Most unusual thing you did at Whittier College: Freshman year, I went on a fully immersive, week-long Buddhist retreat at the Hsi Lai temple for the Philosophy of Simplicity Jan Term class. Our phones were confiscated for the whole week, we meditated almost every day and I even participated in a full day of silence. It was awesome!
Which accomplishment are you most proud of? I am most proud of my three study abroad trips to China, Italy, and France. Not many people can say that they got to travel that much in college!
Favorite class taken: Operating Systems, a computer science requirement with Professor Lutgen.
Advice you would give your first-year self: College is what YOU make of it. Make an effort to put yourself out there and do as many things as possible! This is the easiest way to meet people with similar interests and find what you like to do, both professionally and academically. Also, invest in forming good relationships with your professors, they will be some of your biggest advocates!
Plans after graduating? This summer, I will be interning for a tech company called Tanium. My role falls under People Programs and I will be working on different employee engagement initiatives including change management, social impact, and diversity & inclusion.
Ultimate career goals? I don't really have any specific career goals but as a business major and computer science minor, I've always wanted to use my technical skills and business acumen to empower and uplift underrepresented groups within the tech industry.
A final goodbye: Despite only getting two and a half years on campus (thanks COVID), I feel very grateful for my experience at Whittier College. I've made some awesome memories, met life-long friends, had some really cool professors, and learned a whole lot.
