Maya Bingaman ’19 believes success can be found anywhere if you actively seek opportunities, Pitt-Bradford being no exception. Bingaman recently began a position at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Solve initiative in Boston.
Her journey to that role began at Pitt-Bradford, where she was able to develop an impressive resume and academic portfolio by taking every chance the university had to offer, gaining valuable work experience and traveling the world.
Outside of her work in her major, international affairs, Bingaman took part in extracurricular activities, building her resume and enriching her college experience. These included playing intercollegiate tennis; studying abroad in Peru; acting as president of one of the university’s most successful clubs, Habitat for Humanity; and working with the communications and marketing office.
It was through her work in the communications and marketing office that she found a passion for public relations. She even ran the university’s official Instagram account for part of her time as a student and started a People of Pitt-Bradford account on Facebook and Instagram that won a Silver Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
“Take advantage of every opportunity available to you,” Bingaman advised future students. “Pitt-Bradford might be rural and quiet, but there are clubs, events, and sports to get involved in to help build your resume and connections.”
She not only became a first-generation college graduate but was in the top 2% of her class with a diversified, national-level resume able to take her almost anywhere. As a result, she was accepted into a graduate program at the prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Once again, she took advantage of every campus opportunity she could. She became an instructional assistant and worked on the business school’s Whitman Voices blog, where she interviewed and wrote articles about students, professors and alumni. After once again excelling, Bingaman earned her master’s degree and advanced into her professional career.
She recently became the officer of communications and content at MIT Solve after working for nearly two years at a public relations agency in the Boston area, where she served various business-to-business technology clients ranging in size from Fortune 500 to small and mid-sized enterprises.
Solve is an MIT initiative that supports social entrepreneurs to address the world's most pressing problems. It's a perfect position for Bingaman, who is happy to bring her goal-driven attitude to a mission-oriented space that can help make a difference.
“Having a ‘why’ behind what you do is important,” she said, believing that one of the most important lessons for undergraduate students is to have goals while also accepting delayed gratification. Bingaman took on as many opportunities as she could throughout her years at Pitt-Bradford. Now she gets to live in Boston — one of her lifelong goals — and works at a world-renowned institution. She is ready to see where her career will take her, while she continues to take advantage of every opportunity life provides. – Aaron Suranofsky ‘23