Maya Allen

Maya is from a barrier island in South Carolina, and the outer coastal plain of the Southeast contains significant history and lore for her maternal family. Maya studied biology (BS) and international studies (BA) and minored in environmental studies at the College of Charleston. She also gained valuable skills while working as a farmhand at Grassroots Farm & Dairy & from farmers Anne & Aaron at Gaining Ground Farm. In school, Maya worked on independent research with a favorite mentor, Seth Pritchard. The project sought to develop a heat girdling tool as a method to induce senescence in fine roots. This research made her familiar with the tedious and repetitive work and was her first glimpse at research in a lab. She spent summers farming, and after school, worked as a farmhand. She helped to raise sheep in a high-intensity rotational grazing pattern for dairy, wool, meat, and soil-mending. Through this work, Maya learned to dress and prepare for laborious fieldwork in 100-degree, buggy heat, rain, and well below-freezing mornings to break ice on the sheep water.