New Perspectives: Student Maiya Decena-Chinn
Hailing from Washington State, student Maiya Decena-Chinn is a senior pursuing a B.A. in Psychological Science at JCU. Maiya is the President of the JCU Asian Culture Club and sits on the Black & African Student Association’s board. Maiya is also part of the Student Senate as representative of the Psychological and Social Sciences Department.
What brought you to JCU?
During the worst period of COVID, I started taking online classes at the University of Oregon. After one quarter I transferred to a local community college because my parents were paying out-of-state tuition. My younger sister at that time was in Rome and she knew she wanted to go to college somewhere in Italy, so her college counselor recommended JCU. She told me about I and I thought it was a good idea. So, it was all thanks to my sister.
You’re majoring in Psychological Science. How did you become passionate about this field?
Originally, I was an International Affairs major. When I started taking classes at JCU, however, I found that some of the topics didn’t interest me very much and that it wasn’t what I wanted to do. So, I decided to double major in Psychological Science. But once I started taking psychology classes, I decided to switch to just that major because I found that it was something I really wanted to do and to become a professor of psychology.
You’re the President of the JCU Asian Culture Club. What projects are you currently working on?
For the Asian Culture Club we have planned a big event in collaboration with other cultural clubs, mainly the Arab Student Association and STAND. The event is called “Living in the Diaspora” and is meant to bring together people from different cultures to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in a host country. We will also make donations to STAND so that we can then give the money to an organization or for what’s been happening in Morocco.
What are some of the advantages of being in a different country for you?
At JCU I get to be a part of a very international community. I don’t think if I had stayed in the States, I would have met so many people from different countries. It’s great to see so many different perspectives and so much openness. Also, learning a new language in America is not very encouraged, so it’s nice to be in a country where it is.
You are part of the Student Senate as the representative of the Psychological and Social Sciences Department. What does your position entail?
Representatives should be a liaison between students and the department. Through my role I can bring students’ complaints or suggestions to the department, and I can also let students know what the department is working on. Before I leave, I would like to create new internship and assistantship opportunities for psychology students, since our major is fairly recent.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about transferring to JCU?
Research JCU, because it’s nice to have some background and know what you’re getting into. Once you get here, I recommend joining clubs, because they help you get involved in school and socialize with people. My first semester was very rough because I didn’t join any, but in my second semester I started meeting a lot of new people thanks to clubs.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m looking for master’s degrees in Europe and Australia because I found that I really like being abroad. For now, I just know that I want to go into research and then become a psychology professor in a university.
