Maya Chen-Reyes

Maya Chen-Reyes is an ocelot and a GYU Social Work student in We Can Fix Pawbert. She serves as the team lead for Pawbert's group project on Rainforest District service accessibility.

Background

Maya's mother was a case worker for thirty years, and Maya grew up hearing about systems failing people. She enrolled in Social Work to understand why those failures happen. Her organizational precision and drive to make change make her a natural team leader.

Personality

Maya is terrifyingly organized, intensely focused, and genuinely motivated by the desire to fix broken systems. She pushes her teammates to do better work while remaining supportive of their contributions.

Key personality traits:

• Organized --- Color-coded spreadsheets, strict deadlines, shared documents
• Driven --- Wants the project to create real change, not just earn a grade
• Direct --- Asks pointed questions; cuts to the heart of issues
• Supportive --- Recognizes good work and validates teammates' contributions

Series History

Season 4

Maya is introduced in "First Day" when Pawbert joins her group project team focused on Rainforest District service accessibility. She assigns Pawbert the navigator role concept, recognizing that his lived experience navigating systems post-release is valuable.

In "Case Study", Maya leads the group meeting where they develop the mobile intake unit proposal. She asks Pawbert directly: "Why social work?"---curious about what draws a former business student with family money to the field.

In "Incoming", Maya gives Pawbert grace on project deadlines when Luther is injured, understanding that family emergencies take priority.

In "Full Circle", the group presents their completed project, achieving a sixty-six percent referral completion rate versus the district average of twenty-two percent.

Key Relationships

Pawbert Pawthorne

Maya treats Pawbert as a capable teammate from the start. She values his lived experience and assigns him the navigator role concept because she recognizes he understands the systems from both sides.

Hector Vidal and Jun Tanaka

Maya works alongside Hector and Jun to complete the project. Her organizational precision complements Hector's enthusiasm and Jun's quiet precision.

Notable Quotes

• "This is actually taking shape. We might have a real proposal here."
• "You have the lived experience---use it."
• "Why social work? ... You could be doing anything. Why this?"

Trivia

• Maya's mother was a case worker for thirty years.
• She is prone to sending multiple messages about implementation timelines, which Hector describes as "developing a spreadsheet addiction."