Hi, my name is Maya
I have recently been accepted to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz. I am interested in studying Environmental Science, as the impact of people on the environment and preserving the environment is very important to me. I plan on having a career that aims at saving depreciating ecosystems such as coral reefs and the effects of deforestation. I’m also interested in making the way people live a bit more efficient to lessen their impact on the environment while also preserving a way of life.
Please help me in accomplishing my dreams of making our planet more beautiful for ourselves and generations to come!

Hello Everyone,
I am so excited and proud that my daughter Maya has been admitted to the University of California at Santa Cruz. Maya has been extremely focused and dedicated during the past 4 years of high school. She is in the top 25% of her class. She has competed for the past 2 years at the National Ocean Science Bowl held in Galveston TX. Maya was also a member of the Langham Creek Marching Band and competed at UIL competitions as a solo and ensemble percussionist. Maya also studies photography and has “placed” or received “mention” for several of her photos. She is very talented and her hard work has paid off.
Maya is considered an out of state student which greatly increases the amount of her tuition. She has already been offered a Deans Scholarship and we are applying for additional scholarships daily. We have also applied to take out whatever student loans we qualify for. For Maya to attend UCSC we need to raise $47,800 for her Freshman year.
I was recently diagnosed with an Autoimmune Condition called Graves Disease which means I have an overactive Thyroid. This causes my heart to beat too rapidly. I have been placed on an indefinite medical leave from my job. I work as a waitress and I love what I do, but there are not any safety nets for servers if we get sick. There is no sick pay, no vacation pay, and no temporary disability pay. We have exhausted our savings to pay for my medical treatment and living expenses. This is the reason I am asking all of you to please help me get Maya to college. This is a lot of money to come up with in a short period of time, but I know we can do it. All the money will be used to pay for tuition, books, meal plan, and travel expenses to California from Texas.
Thank you so much,
Cecily “CiCi” Hemphill
One Proud Mama