Hi, my name is Maya Coumbe Gitter and I’d like to start with a little bit about who I am. To begin, my two favorite hobbies in the world are collecting books and trying new foods. If I’m not in a bookstore or trying a new restaurant with my friends, I am usually off exploring the city or the nearby parks. I also enjoy hiking and bike riding with my family. I love seeing new things and have been fascinated with other countries for as long as I can remember. I was adopted from China at the age of 18 months and since then, my family has been fortunate enough to continue to travel. Every time I board a plane, I feel a sense of excitement and adventure.

I just finished my first year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I chose Madison because it always felt like home. My dad grew up there, my grandparents still live there and I recently discovered that I am actually the fifth generation of women in my family to attend UW-Madison. I love the campus which is surrounded by three lakes, leaving the area in between with lots of trees and greenspace. There are always hammocks hanging between the trees near the lakeshore buildings. The campus is super bike friendly and I used my bike for pretty much the whole first semester and then for half of the spring semester. Even when walking, it doesn’t take much longer than about 20 minutes to reach the other side of campus.

I started the year wanting to major in international business and finance, yet after taking an economics course, I soon realized that the business school was not the right fit. Since then, I have switched ideas and am currently undecided about a major and pursuing certificates (minor) in Criminal Justice and Computer Science. There are so many amazing opportunities that I’m finding it a lot more difficult to choose between classes than I originally had thought. This past year, I continued my studies in Spanish and German from high school, however, this upcoming fall I decided to try a new language this. I am able to attend classes that were never an option in high school. For example, my favorite classes so far were Astronomy and Criminal Justice, two things I would have never guessed to be as interesting or complex as they were. That’s the amazing thing about college, the hardest part is choosing between the thousands of classes to take. All it takes is one class to spark a new interest.

This year has been an absolute blast due to the many friends I met throughout the year. I met most of my friends through the extracurriculars at Madison. My favorite sport in high school was Track and Field and luckily I was able to continue running at Madison. I ran for the executive board at the end of the fall semester and I was honored to become the new Vice President of Women’s Sprints and Field for the Wisconsin Track Club. I have dreamed of attending law school ever since middle school when I saw Legally Blonde and became a chapter member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, International. I also joined the Asian American Student Union and Chinese American Student Association as a general member to increase my involvement with the university and meet others with the same interests and culture. However, one of my proudest accomplishments this year was founding and establishing a new service club at the university named Khaleesi Service Club (KSC) with some of my closest friends. Our new club is dedicated to serving women, children, and families both locally and internationally. This fall we will finally begin expanding our members and working for the community.

I am beyond thrilled to have been the recipient of the Undergraduate Achiever Scholarship! I would love to study abroad in Europe. Ever since my good family friend went to Rome for her study abroad, I have wanted to follow in her footsteps. However, I would choose Spain. I have dreamed about being able to live in Madrid or Barcelona, Spain since I began taking Spanish in 7th grade. Being able to attend classes during the week and explore the country on the weekends would be a dream come true. The scholarship is monumental in helping finance the tuition of a study abroad program. Additionally there are student visa fees, flight costs and room and board all cost money as well.

Gitter and I’d like to start with a little bit about who I am. To begin, my two favorite hobbies in the world are collecting books and trying new foods. If I’m not in a bookstore or trying a new restaurant with my friends, I am usually off exploring the city or the nearby parks. I also enjoy hiking and bike riding with my family. I love seeing new things and have been fascinated with other countries for as long as I can remember. I was adopted from China at the age of 18 months and since then, my family has been fortunate enough to continue to travel. Every time I board a plane, I feel a sense of excitement and adventure.

I just finished my first year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I chose Madison because it always felt like home. My dad grew up there, my grandparents still live there and I recently discovered that I am actually the fifth generation of women in my family to attend UW-Madison. I love the campus which is surrounded by three lakes, leaving the area in between with lots of trees and greenspace. There are always hammocks hanging between the trees near the lakeshore buildings. The campus is super bike friendly and I used my bike for pretty much the whole first semester and then for half of the spring semester. Even when walking, it doesn’t take much longer than about 20 minutes to reach the other side of campus.

I started the year wanting to major in international business and finance, yet after taking an economics course, I soon realized that the business school was not the right fit. Since then, I have switched ideas and am currently undecided about a major and pursuing certificates (minor) in Criminal Justice and Computer Science. There are so many amazing opportunities that I’m finding it a lot more difficult to choose between classes than I originally had thought. This past year, I continued my studies in Spanish and German from high school, however, this upcoming fall I decided to try a new language this. I am able to attend classes that were never an option in high school. For example, my favorite classes so far were Astronomy and Criminal Justice, two things I would have never guessed to be as interesting or complex as they were. That’s the amazing thing about college, the hardest part is choosing between the thousands of classes to take. All it takes is one class to spark a new interest.

This year has been an absolute blast due to the many friends I met throughout the year. I met most of my friends through the extracurriculars at Madison. My favorite sport in high school was Track and Field and luckily I was able to continue running at Madison. I ran for the executive board at the end of the fall semester and I was honored to become the new Vice President of Women’s Sprints and Field for the Wisconsin Track Club. I have dreamed of attending law school ever since middle school when I saw Legally Blonde and became a chapter member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, International. I also joined the Asian American Student Union and Chinese American Student Association as a general member to increase my involvement with the university and meet others with the same interests and culture. However, one of my proudest accomplishments this year was founding and establishing a new service club at the university named Khaleesi Service Club (KSC) with some of my closest friends. Our new club is dedicated to serving women, children, and families both locally and internationally. This fall we will finally begin expanding our members and working for the community.

I am beyond thrilled to have been the recipient of the Undergraduate Achiever Scholarship! I would love to study abroad in Europe. Ever since my good family friend went to Rome for her study abroad, I have wanted to follow in her footsteps. However, I would choose Spain. I have dreamed about being able to live in Madrid or Barcelona, Spain since I began taking Spanish in 7th grade. Being able to attend classes during the week and explore the country on the weekends would be a dream come true. The scholarship is monumental in helping finance the tuition of a study abroad program. Additionally there are student visa fees, flight costs and room and board all cost money as well.