Maya Fok (2003)
Basketball
Psychology, ERC
 |
|
Maya driving to the rim for a layup
|
When Maya Fok was a hardworking sophomore on her high school Saint Ignatius’s basketball team, her coach told her that she would never play college basketball because she was too short. Being the determined, hardworking, and resolute person that she is, Maya, who stands at 5’4, used this as a major source of motivation. “From that moment on I dedicated my life to playing college basketball,” she says. “I don’t even think he meant it like that, and he’s actually really proud of me now…he was a great coach in my life. He probably doesn’t even remember saying that!” Nevertheless, this episode demonstrates the tenacious attitude that characterizes Maya and has helped her achieve great success throughout her life.
Maya transferred to UC San Diego from UC Davis just in time to usher in a new era for the Tritons. Her junior year was when UC San Diego moved from Division III to Division II. It was an immensely exciting time for student-athletes: “I felt like I moved UC San Diego into this new era of being a powerhouse as DII,” Maya says. “I felt like I was helping bring the program up. I was super proud of being a UC San Diego athlete.”
At UC San Diego, Maya majored in psychology with the intention of going into sports psychology. However, during her undergraduate years she started working as a preschool teacher and discovered how much she loved working with children. “This is my passion—what I was born to do,” she realized. Thus, she found occupational therapy with an emphasis on child development to be the perfect career for her. “I was always drawn to helping the kids that needed more help,” she says.
Only two years after graduating, Maya opened her first occupational therapy clinic with a colleague, and she is currently in the process of opening a second. She has experienced much success, despite the many challenges that accompany opening a clinic. “Balancing everything was the hardest thing,” she says. Doing her job as a therapist while worrying about the administrative and business side was no small undertaking. However, Maya had no problem handling the responsibilities: “I’ve always been a busy person. I think when you play sports at a high college level with academics, it’s a lot of responsibility, and that has prepared me.” Sports also helped her hone her skills of communication and teamwork: “I had to think of constructive ways of problem solving, with teammates, with coaches, etc. You have to be able to work with others in a productive way.”
Basketball was and remains an integral part of Maya’s life. Aside from her intense schedule as an occupational therapist, Maya coaches high school division 5 basketball. She also continues to play basketball herself—she is a member of a club team in San Francisco that is entirely composed of former college athletes. They compete in travel tournaments twice a year. But most of all, basketball has given Maya some of her most meaningful relationships: “my closest friends are still my teammates. They all have kids, and their kids are like my best friends! You’ve been through so much together, and you have that foundation…getting older now, it’s hard to find those friendships. My teammates are still my best friends in life, and that has impacted me hugely.”
Alumni Spotlight is written by student-athlete Lauren Iannetta (’17), a history major from Eleanor Roosevelt College. She is a second year on the women’s rowing team. If you are interested in sharing your Triton Alumni Athlete story, please contact Danielle Boyle Melman at daboyle@ucsd.edu.
Previous Alumni Spotlights:
Jamie Hurst - 2005
Susan Zneimer - 1980
Jay & Tracy Hagan - 1992
Gordon McNeill - 1992
Lauren Segars - 2008
Shane Poppen - 2009
Sherine Ebadi - 1998
Brett Stuckey - 2009
Richard Freer - 1975
Christina Guintu - 2001
Toya Ellis - 1991
