Bella

Maya Kaelei Lewis

University of California Los Angeles ’22 majoring in Japanese Language and Culture 

 Maya was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to a Filipina mother and African-American father in which she continues to navigate a biracial identity and multicultural family. Through first-hand experience, she quickly learned of the societal ways in which her two communities are separated therefore she developed a passion for bridging cultural gaps by leading discussions about the ways in which Asian and Black culture share core values. 

From the age of thirteen years old, Maya attended a Japanese language school and was immersed in Japanese customs which fostered her desire to become multilingual beyond the languages of her family. Now with English, Tagalog, Japanese, and Chinese, most recently, she applies her passions in Global Talent Link by working diligently to cultivate an all-embracing environment which welcomes students of every background.