Mayana Bonapart, 2016

After college Mayana Bonapart was recruited to be a canvas director for Environment Oregon/ Fund for the Public Interest.  She lasted three days in this job before realizing that her heart was not showing up in the praxis of the work, though she believed in the mission of the organization.  After she quit, Mayana set out to find a job that better suited her passions, values and prior experiences.  She created an excel spreadsheet with over 30 jobs she was pursuing before landing a job with Impact NW.  While working at Impact NW, Maya realized that social services programs were being defunded because of the political context at the time.  With additional  credentials and experience Mayana felt that she would be better equipped to enhance social service organizations by incorporating social justice into their visions.  Mayana is now pursuing her Master’s in Social Work at Columbia University.  While many of Mayana’s peers at Columbia studied psychology, Mayana feels that her SOAN background has given her a unique insight in the classroom and in the way she approaches social work