Maya Pillon, 2018 Pedrozzi Scholar, returned as the Pedrozzi Intern for the 2020 summer. Despite the challenging and changing times of 2020, Maya was able to work hard supporting her fellow Pedrozzi Scholars. Maya worked diligently on her major project of coordinating the scholarship disbursements. Maya also assisted with a variety of tasks, including writing email and written communications, contacting Pedrozzi Scholars, coordinating and designing social media graphics, updating the website, writing website posts, and various other helpful tasks. Maya contributed greatly to the Pedrozzi Foundation during this summer!

To learn more about Maya and her second year at Linfield College, read through her update, shared in June of 2020:

My second year at Linfield opened me up to so many more opportunities. I am double majoring in Sociology and Psychology and planning to minor in Gender Studies and Cognitive Neuroscience. This past school year has been amazing. I have grown closer to the friends I made last year and made some new ones. I have also been able to get to know my advisors and professors better. One of my favorite parts of this year was being a part of a research team. I got to analyze data and conduct a study about what people from all over the country think an adult is compared to an emerging adult (18-25 year olds). The other study I got to work on is a prototype analysis of adulthood. Both of these experiences were fascinating. I learned that I love doing research and working in a team. Both of these studies even got accepted into the Western Psychological Association’s 2020 Convention in San Francisco. Unfortunately, my team has not been able to present our findings, as the convention was rescheduled for October due to the pandemic.

This past school year, I also became the President of our campus’ Psychology Club. It has been fun to plan events and activities, like OCD Awareness Week, Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and many more. We also planned to have a nationally recognized speaker and activists come to talk on campus, but this event also had to be moved to next school year. In addition to Psych club, I am involved with Linfield’s Harry Potter club and Linfield’s Queer Connect Task Force, a group of students, staff, and faculty working to create more inclusive campus policies and a safer environment for the LGBTQ+ community.

I was very disappointed that this year was interrupted and students were sent home. Even with the inconvenience of the pandemic, I was still able to learn and make the most of the situation. I did many Zoom calls and Netflix parties with friends to make up for the lost time. I was even able to virtually present my research to the Linfield community in their virtual student symposium. Spring semester was definitely different than expected, but it was still one to remember.

This summer, I am very excited to return as the Pedrozzi Foundation Intern and help the foundation navigate these strange times from a student’s perspective. Thank you Pedrozzi Foundation for all the great memories.