“Through writing we preserve history. We ignite the inner sparks that have been buried beneath the surface just a little too long.”
~ Maiah Alyssa, March 2020
Here we are archiving a selection of Maiah’s writing, private and public, that we find particularly insightful, inspirational and intrinsically her. Please enjoy these knowing all typos and misspellings from our Moo’s original musings have been faithfully preserved with intention.
Maryville College Admission Essay — October 2018
(Maiah finalized this college admission essay in the Fall of 2018. She applied to four schools and was admitted to all. Her greatest achievement of all, however, in this regard was actually graduating from Brewer High School given her life challenges. Her authenticity and self awareness as a young woman is clear in this essay. Gratitude to the dedicated staff and teachers at all of the five high schools Maiah attended, most especially to those at Brewer High School.)
Is College All It’s Cracked Up to Be? — Quantitative Literacy Composition, Maryville College, February 21, 2020
Filled with little bits of Maiah’s color and flare, the financial argument for college “Maiah” style.
Bonner Scholarship: 5 Short Essays — Application for the Bonner Service Scholarship, Maryville College, February 25, 2020
Maiah shared with us on our Monday February 24, 2020 family phone call that she had exciting news for us, that she had met with her College Pastor and learned of an opportunity to possibly obtain a full need-based service scholarship that would entail her doing service-learning/community service with the area homeless and financially insecure community as well as the 12-step community. She was hopeful and excited — it would both allow her to continue to attend Maryville College without the crushing financial weight she was anticipating as well as allow her to actively serve a community that had given her so much in her high school years, allowing her to be more fully herself and maintain her grounding in who she was and what her values were. These are the essays she wrote for that application which was under review at the time of her transition. We believe somewhere in the Multiverse she was awarded the Bonner Scholarship, and that in this version of reality she continues to stand by us in her new forms, helping and supporting her chosen family with all their struggles, including those of recovery from substance abuse and mental health as well as financial and food insecurity. (Picture and essays both from February 25, 2020)
Imagine Paper — English Composition, Maryville College, March 2020
(Maryville College, English Composition, as submitted March 2020 — and as read at Maiah’s Maryville College Memorial Service 6-March-2020 by adoptive father Demetrius Wyatt Thomas and at her Moo’s Corner Celebration of Life 10-June-2020 by sister Ella Reilich-Godino)
The Disturbing Reality Behind Pro Life Support — English Composition, Maryville College, 3 March 2020
Maiah was very proud of this essay — writing on her social media, “Welcome to my best college essay yet” — we affectionately call it “The Camper Gang” paper. Dated 03/03/2020, it seems to be the last assignment she was able to complete and turn in prior to her transition.