Maya - Impact Story
To create impact in the world today, a young leader needs to grow into a combination of self-assurance and humility. Soundboard Impact Foundation (SBIF) both searches out and helps instill this rare and powerful combination. Young leader Maya Ramaswamy is a particularly radiant example. Although she’s barely out of her teens, Maya is already incredibly accomplished, balancing obtaining her Mechanical Engineering degree from Northwestern with co-founding her own sexual assault awareness nonprofit, Teal Tie. Maya is a natural leader, brimming with many eloquent insights and transformative experiences beyond her years. However, when asked about the wisdom she has gained on her journey thus far, her laughter-tinged answer speaks volumes about her self-awareness: “My wisdom? I’m only 20!”
Although she speaks with humility, Maya’s competence still shines through with quiet confidence: “I’m still learning today that even if you can’t do everything, you can do something.” Her nonprofit is a clear example of how she is, in fact, doing something, leaning into her passions and her community to begin to change the world. The Chicago-based Teal Tie creates apparel using community art submissions, donating the proceeds to organizations that support young survivors of sexual assault. Although she freely acknowledges that she and her sister cofounder are still in the early stages, she can already tell stories of their incredible momentum and growing coalition of supporters. Community members are enthusiastically submitting a wealth of art, for example, and Maya’s classmates are finding the nonprofit’s website, buying shirts, and wearing them together in solidarity with her mission.
In talking about these early successes, Maya points to the influence of her mentoring relationship with SBIF founder Richard and her participation in the SBIF-sponsored young leadership program Art of Change. During Art of Change, Maya and Richard, along with a global cohort of young leaders, spent several days in Norway learning about mental health and leadership. Maya calls the experience an “awakening,” a powerful transformation of how she understands herself, others, and the world. Although the experience was challenging at times, Richard’s guidance and support helped her grow through it. Similarly jet-lagged and awake before the other attendees, Maya and Richard connected through early morning conversations in the dining hall. “He became like a father figure to me,” Maya observes. “You can’t open yourself up unless you are comfortable. Richard really helped me with that. He made me feel like I belonged.”
Through Art of Change and his mentorship, Richard deeply impacted Maya at a crucial early moment, equipping her in her journey of humble yet self-assured leadership. Maya tells this story with clear thankfulness and warmth: “he’s both my mentor and a phenomenal friend of mine.” What relationships will you form and what story will you tell through the Soundboard Impact Foundation?