Featured Student . . .

For many of us, growing up and living a normal life is something we take for granted. We may have had few responsibilities, our parents were there to watch out for us, and we lived each day without thinking of the next. But for Maya Ramsey, all of these things came to a sudden stop. Tragedy struck early in Maya’s life and taught her to appreciate all of the seemingly “little” things.

In her freshman year at Sprague High School in Salem, Maya suddenly had to take on a lot more responsibility than most of her peers after her mother suffered from a stroke. Just one year later, her father passed away. Since then, Maya has grown into a mature and determined young adult - someone who understands well the meaning of perseverance. Maya has far from given up – she has turned her life experiences into her best strength and pushes herself to overcome any limitations that life throws at her.

As a Willamette University student majoring in exercise science, Maya lives an active lifestyle. She worked for the Boys and Girls Club last year, she captains a club soccer team, and she is a member of a sorority on the Willamette campus. In the future, Maya hopes to attend the University of Hawaii – Manoa to earn her master’s degree in occupational therapy.

Education is a top priority for Maya. It has given her the chance to succeed and make a difference to the important people in her life. She credits Willamette Academy for helping her along the way. “[Willamette Academy] was a great experience. I gained friendships all across Salem and from different high schools. It gave me the opportunity to hold leadership positions and [to] network.” For incoming students, Maya recommends that they get out and try something different, and when the time comes to apply to colleges, take the opportunity to go outside of Oregon.

Welcome

Willamette Academy at Willamette University is a college access program committed to empowering youth who have the desire and potential to advance to higher education, targeting those who are historically under-represented at colleges and universities in the United States. Willamette Academy is a supplemental education program in which ethnically diverse students are challenged and inspired to enhance their critical thinking skills, see themselves as leaders in their community, and develop a love of learning. Our hope is that through cooperative efforts with families and public schools, Willamette Academy students will develop a stronger foundation on which to build their future.

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