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Maya Heim
- Year
- Senior
- Major
- Advocacy & Social Change
- Hometown
- Morton, IL
What are some of your interests outside the Gannon Scholars program?
Outside of my involvement with Gannon, I really enjoy my time working downtown with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly. This is a global non-profit that provides social opportunities to otherwise isolated elders in our communities, serving over 2,000 elders in Chicago! I love a good party, so I assist in event planning and management for the Little Brothers community. Within my own community, I love going for walks with my friends and having picnics on the lakefront. I like finding fun ways to stay active with things like dance, yoga, and hula hooping. I always enjoy planning and daydreaming about the details of my next trip, whether it’s a vacation or study abroad. I love people watching, language learning, making crème brûlée, and disco-themed everything.
Why is the mission of the Gannon Scholars important to you?
I see our society growing in a direction where more people want to be bold social advocates, especially young people due to our technology and media usage. The Gannon Scholars’ mission is so important because it sets us up to create change bigger than ourselves by giving us the tools, education, support, and inspiration to lead others as we grow in advocacy together.
What are you interested in researching? Why?
I am interested in researching how social media influencers with Down syndrome create their digital personas and how these identities interact with ableism in society. I want to use the social model of disability and critical disability studies to investigate whether these influencers’ content works to establish validation and visibility within the disabling structures of society or works to dismantle them. This research could guide future digital media advocacy and representation and help critique under-discussed forms of ableism in our online communities.
