Hello and welcome to my website! Thanks for taking the time to get to know about me. My name is Maya Sushkin, and I am a Junior at Mass Academy. I am 15 years old and live in Worcester, Massachusetts. I have lived in Worcester all my life, and before Mass Academy, I went to South High Community School (SHCS). I have a 19-year-old brother who is currently taking classes in college. I live with my parents and brother. My mother works as a electrical engineer, and my father as a software engineer, both WPI graduates. I love my family immensely, and am very proud of where I come from. They always believe in me and encourage me to do my best, and I know that I will.
I have two pets, a dog and a rabbit. My dog’s name is Poncho, our pandemic puppy. We got him in February of 2020 when he was six months old, and he has been such a joyful part of our lives ever since. He is a mix of a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chihuahua. In my biased opinion, he has the best of both worlds: the fluffiness of a Yorkshire terrier and the cuteness of a Chihuahua. My rabbit’s name is Rabbitoo (I know, original, right?), also a pandemic pet. We got her in January of 2020, right before Poncho. I have had rabbits for pets since I was young, but Poncho is the very first dog I have taken care of, and I am extremely lucky to have them both.
I have many hobbies, but my favorite is competitive dance. I have danced for over 7 years in all different genres, such as Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, Hip-hop. My favorite genre is hip-hop since I love seeing it come together. With sharp moves and cool transitions, it’s definitely my favorite to watch and dance. The best part of every year is the dance competitions, where my team and I can showcase our hard work through a 2–3-minute dance in front of judges. It is nerve-racking, but the excitement and adrenaline are enough to overpower the nerves.
Outside of dance, I have other hobbies, such as playing musical instruments. I started playing the piano when I was young and later switched to band instruments, the saxophone and clarinet. Back at my sending school, I was a part of the school concert and marching band, which I am continuing to participate in now. I have also joined the WPI concert band, which I have also been enjoying.
I have had the opportunity of visiting Yellowstone National Park twice, once in 2018 and another time this previous summer. I couldn’t stay long, but saw some incredible sights, like hot springs and mud pots. Of course, I also had to visit the famous geyser, Old Faithful, and was extremely lucky to do so. In the west, as soon as the sun goes down, it becomes freezing cold! I love to travel and see new places, but I don’t think I’ll be going back without a thick sweater.
I have a fear of the stove, the oven, and pretty much the entire kitchen. But that doesn’t stop me from baking every now and then. I like mixing ingredients in the kitchen and, of course, tasting as I go. Some of my favorite desserts to bake are apple crisp, blueberry cheesecake, and blackberry cobbler. My first cheesecake was a strawberry cheesecake, but I liked the recipe for the cheesecake itself so much that I use that one specifically and add any topping I choose. My favorite cheesecake recipe can be found here :)
This year, I fulfilled my community service requirements by participating in Mass Academy affiliated activities such as STEM Saturday's and volunteering at Abby Kelly Foster Charter School. During these events, I helped to prepare STEM-related activities for youth and gave small lessons on the science behind them.
The majority of my community service was completed through volunteering at my local Chinese School, TCLS - The Chinese Language School, as a a teaching assistant. In this position, I graded student work, ran errands for the teacher, and helped the students with learning.