East County student leads the way

When Maya Dean-Elois was a sophomore at Braden River High School, her mom, Heather Dean, walked into her bedroom and told her she was hanging out at home too much.

Maya Dean-Elois agreed. All she had been doing was going to school and returning home to do homework. So decided to start volunteering at school and in the community.

“I knew I definitely wanted to branch out more,” Dean-Elois said. “I wanted to be more involved in the community and see if I could make a difference.”

Since then, Dean-Elois has been volunteering on the Braden River Library’s Teen Advisory Board and Tech Buddies program while also helping with making crafts for kids, shelving books and more.

She volunteers at school tutoring students and also volunteers at the YMCA as a Y-Reads teacher. 

Most recently, Dean-Elois was accepted into the Bank of America’s Student Leaders program. 

Student Leaders is a six-week paid summer internship program that helps strengthen students’ leadership abilities, civic engagement and workforce skills. 

Unlike in past years, Dean-Elois had to participate virtually in the program, which partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Manatee County.

Dean-Elois was tasked with creating a public service announcement addressing current events including COVID-19 and social injustice as well as a video highlighting the Boys and Girls Club of Manatee County’s accomplishments.

“With everything going on in the world right now, I’ve always wondered what could I do, and I think working for the Boys and Girls Club showed me what I could do,” she said. “The video is inspirational, and the Boys and Girls Club has done so much over the years.”

She said the experience has taught her about herself and what she can do in her community.

Dean-Elois has learned to take pride in her accomplishments rather than shy away when people mention them. She’s also learned not to second guess herself and stick to her decisions.

For example, Dean-Elois questioned whether she should focus on COVID-19 or social injustice in her videos because they can be controversial and personal topics. But she decided now is the time to be personal and to share people’s stories.

Participating in the internship has taught Dean-Elois that success is everywhere and there are people who will be willing to help you along the way.

From the library to the YMCA to the Boys and Girls Club of Manatee County, Dean-Elois wants to continue to help people as she enters her senior year. 

“What keeps me going is my love for people and the things they do to make this world a better place,” she said.

Dean-Elois recalled a time when she was at Bayshore Elementary School helping a boy with his reading skills through the Y-Reads program at the YMCA. She helped him sound out every word on the first page of a book, and together they read the first page multiple times to assist in his reading skills.

“One person can make a difference in one person,” she said. “I get so emotional thinking about it because he’s such an amazing reader now.”

During her senior year, Dean-Elois hopes to find a predecessor for her position as web developer at The Spyglass, continue to help people through tutoring and leave her mark on campus as someone who cared for all those with whom she worked. The Spyglass is Braden River High’s school newspaper.

“I hope I can go out with a bang,” she said. “I’m hoping to obtain new projects and work with new people. Even with the pandemic, I’m being safe and wearing a mask, and I’m really hoping for that not to stop me because I would say I’m just a powerhouse.”