Maya Mashkuri

M.S. Environmental Science & Policy – Sustainable Food Systems, Clark University

B.A. Geography – Urban Economics, Clark University

Maya grew up on a farm in rural Oregon where she spent the majority of her childhood camping, hiking, and building forts with her siblings in the woods. She’s always held a deep appreciation for the land and community around her.

In high school she moved across the country to Vermont where she continued to build her confidence in the outdoors and as a creative learner. She volunteered for the AMC, section hiked parts of the VT Long Trail, and created her own curriculum junior and senior year, leveraging her passions as building blocks for an alternative learning path. Maya joined us as a student in the Spring of 2016 for the Nepal program. There, she fell in love with the mountains, slow travel, and meeting new people. She gained transformational skills that continue to shape the way she moves with the world.

Upon her return, she pursued a degree in Geography, studying the intersection of place, people, and culture. While studying abroad in Berlin, she took an array of sustainability and urban planning courses and also spent a fair amount of time traveling to new countries with friends… trying all the food. Post-grad, she continued her academics in Environmental Science & Policy. She spent a summer (remotely) researching the Xochimilco chinampas and knowledge-sharing systems in Mexico City, while also working in a hydroponic freight farm. In 2022, Maya spearheaded social media and creative branding efforts for a sustainable hop farm in VT. She continued to build her background in marketing at a hospitality group in Boston, where she worked with a diverse group of chefs, foodies, and business folks.

Maya joins us with a passion for sharing the wonders of experiential learning, traveling, and storytelling. Outside of Dragons, she enjoys cooking, hiking, creating, listening to some good bluegrass, and not taking life too seriously.