Hailing from the Bay Area, Maya Tersigni is a spoken word poet, published writer, educator, and media host. Inspired by poets like Sarah Kay, Rudy Francisco, and peers in the Youth Speaks network, she began performing in high school. As a certified scuba diver, she loves being in the ocean, cooking vegan food, and coaching beach volleyball! Her work has primarily focused on activism, including the March for Our Lives SF, and she was a Semifinalist for the Youth Speaks SF Teen Poetry Slam in 2019. Her experience includes program facilitation for people with special needs, after school performing arts, trauma-informed mental health, and English Language Development. Maya holds a B.A. in Political Science with minors in Mandarin Chinese and Global Asian Studies from DePaul University and hosts a podcast on mental health. You can check out her work at mayatersigni.com.