Maya Chandler
She/Her
2 Years in Care
Maya Chandler’s time in foster care was brief but intense, with multiple placements and very few resources for someone her age. Despite these challenges, a powerful advocate in her Guardian ad Litem saw her for who she truly was, inspiring Maya to use her voice to fight for other youth in care.
Since aging out, Maya has become a strong advocate for foster youth across Colorado. She co-facilitated workshops for the Foster Youth Bill of Rights, testified on multiple state bills, and served on advisory boards and committees including the LEAP panel at the Office of the Child’s Representative and the National Youth in Transition Database as a youth policy expert. She has shared her expertise with the American Bar Association and the United States Ombudsman Association.
Maya balances advocacy with law and community engagement. She is a paralegal, a LEAF Fellow with the National Center for Youth Law, and founder and president of Up & Up CU Denver. She also curates concerts, giving student artists a platform to collaborate with professional musicians.
She plans to return to the University of Denver in Fall 2025 to continue studying Political Science, Public Policy, and Legal Studies, with the goal of attending law school. Maya is committed to empowering foster youth and using her lived experience, legal knowledge, and leadership to create meaningful change.
