Maya was a completely free spirit. She was full of life, curious, creative and had an insatiable

hunger for adventure. Even at a young age she was unstoppable. I remember in third grade, our

class stood outside of our school for a fire drill, for what felt like the longest 15 minutes of our

lives. When at last it was over, our teacher did a final roll call. “Maya Humeau?” Silence. No

response. Maya was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, she bolted through the front door of her

house, which is right across the street from our elementary school. I can still picture her

bounding towards us, a huge smile on her face, a rolled up crepe filled with sugar and

strawberries in one hand, her cat in the other, and her mother chasing behind her with the shoes

that she had forgotten to put on her feet. She got back in line next to me, and slipped the crepe

into my hand. This was Maya: independent and determined, boundless, generous, and utterly

charming.

Childhood was a precious time for us; full of firsts, adventure, laughter, mistakes, growth. It was

about figuring out who we are and where we belong in the world. To navigate this fundamental

time of my life with Maya by my side was truly the greatest gift. I have no doubt that growing up

with Maya as my childhood best friend has guided me for years beyond. She led her life with a

fierce curiosity, completely enamored by all that life has to offer. For as long as I’ve known her,

on every hike she’d scamper ahead of everyone on the trail, pausing every couple of steps to

admire a slug she’d spot under a flower petal, or to climb (usually barefoot) up a little higher to

get a better view. She noticed details in things that went unobserved by most people; you could

see this in her artwork, as she boldly captured intricate textures, vibrant colors and unusual

shapes in faces and nature.

Maya was a magnetic, radiating force in this world. No matter what we were doing, I was elated

to be with her. We all were; if Maya was going to be there, you knew it was going to be fun.

Maya showed me how to really, truly laugh. Whether devising a sophisticated mission to build a

fort in the kitchen during a sleepover, concocting homemade lipsticks for atrocious blind

makeovers, or trying to see who could chew more pieces of gum at once, we could barely go five

minutes without one of us peeing our pants from laughter. In high school, she began our lunch

time tradition known as the “Compliment Circle,” where we’d all form a circle and take turns

complimenting the person to your right. Of course, if she was complimenting me, she’d always

make sure to have an insult on hand to balance it out, claiming that she didn’t want the

compliment to get to my head.

Maya was determined to understand the intricate mysteries of the natural world. She was born

with a deeply inspiring connection to the Earth that she shared with those around her. When it

rained, she’d run out onto the street barefoot. I’d follow with glee, spinning and dancing and

sopping wet. When it snowed, she’d spend hours outside shoveling, building snowmen and

sledding. One snow day when we were in middle school, she texted me to come over saying that

she had a great idea. I trudged through the snow to her house to find her outside waiting with two

plastic kayaks. We locked eyes in silent agreement of the plan, and together hauled the two

kayaks overhead and across the street to the ultimate sledding hill in our neighborhood. We

kayak-sledded for hours, building jumps to fly off and tracks in the snow to slide down, only

going inside to regenerate with warm soup and hot chocolate. It was pure joy. I know for certain

that others in her life also felt this same pure joy she ignited.

Maya was extraordinary. She had a smile that shone from within, and lit up any room as though

her soul was on fire. She had this ability to light a spark in the people surrounding her, leaving an

impact that words can hardly capture. Knowing Maya was truly the greatest gift. Thank you,

Maya, for teaching me how to marvel at Earth’s gifts, adventure freely through the world, laugh

uncontrollably, love so purely and believe so deeply.

-Zoe Taswell

The Octopi!

The “Little Misses”