Maya hiking in Zion National Park

Name:  Maya Ellis

Hometown:  Salt Lake City, UT

Previous Degrees, Institutions:  BS (in progress), University of Utah, Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests/Project:  Evaluating the incidence of closed-globe related trauma following blast exposure in veterans.

Honors/Awards:  

  • Presidential Service Award 2012-2016
  • Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
  • Jr. Youth Leadership Award 2016
  • Marine Corps Scholarship Recipient 2016-
  • Youth Volunteer of the Year; South Salt Lake 2014

Interests outside of Research: Cooking, puppies, reality television, makeup, and fashion

Tell us something about yourself that otherwise we wouldn’t know or guess:  I had stick straight hair from birth to about 11.

15 Minutes of fame:  I was Youth Mayor of South Salt Lake and ran the SSLC Youth Council for one year

What can’t you live without:  Reality TV or nail polish/acrylics

Favorite place to eat in SLC or surrounding area:  Sawadee or Oh Mai

Favorite quote:  “I’ll sleep when I’m dead

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received or given:   College is only as hard as you make it

If there is one thing you could tell your lab mates, what would it be?   Always save one day for you.