Her Story
About Maya
Maya Curls serves as Communications Manager at Swope Health. She began her career with approximately a decade of nonprofit work and youth programming, including roles supporting foster children in Los Angeles and community outreach efforts. In 2021 she transitioned more fully into communications while completing her education, earning a bachelor's degree in communications advertising with a graphic design minor from Howard University in 2022 and a master's degree in communications advertising from Syracuse University in 2023. Her path also included an internship at SRB Communications in Washington, D.C., and a position as a content marketing specialist. Curls credits her family, particularly her mother, aunt, and grandmother, as her earliest mentors who instilled a strong work ethic and belief in her potential. She is passionate about audience engagement and storytelling and will return to SRB Communications as Communications Manager in September.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maya
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would probably say my family. I grew up with built-in mentors. My mother, my aunt, my grandmother were my first mentors. My family is very big on business and working and making something of yourself. They've been kind of entrenched in that mindset with my family since I was literally in diapers, they always made sure that we knew that we could do anything and be anybody.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Finding a way to always be centered in your passion. So no matter the industry, no matter the organization in that moment, as long as you can be centered in your passion and your goal, the rest will kind of fall into place.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Remain flexible and understand that no one's path is linear, and no two paths will ever look the same. Finding a balance in between who you are and your passions and where you want to see yourself. Sometimes if the job or the opportunity doesn't exist, it's okay to create it for yourself. It's important to make sure that all women coming into their career or changing their career know that what they need is out there.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Striking the balance between audience engagement and storytelling and also maintaining a level of boundaries. Prioritization of impactfulness because there are so many stories to tell and I want to do it all. Making sure that you're picking the stories that are the most impactful and telling them in a way that have the largest impact while making sure everyone still feels seen.
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