When Maya Trajanoska reflects on her time at Montclair State University, what stands out is not just the academic accomplishments, but the growth she\u2019s experienced within.<\/p>\n
Maya came to Montclair with close ties to family \u2014 both biological and cultural. Originally from Macedonia, she followed in her brother\u2019s footsteps, arriving at Montclair with a deep appreciation for global issues and a growing curiosity about law, society, and governance.<\/p>\n
Maya is now completing her Master\u2019s in Law and Governance after participating in the university\u2019s combined BA\/MA program<\/a>. She earned her bachelor\u2019s in Jurisprudence, Law, and Society last year, with minors in Russian and Sociology. \u201cComing from another country and being deeply tied to my culture, yet having lived in the U.S. for years, my field of study helped me become increasingly interested in international affairs and merging my interests,\u201d Maya shares.<\/p>\n Throughout her five years at Montclair, she\u2019s taken on academic challenges, worked on meaningful research, and mentored others\u2014all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and graduating debt-free, thanks to prestigious scholarships and her position as a graduate assistant.<\/p>\n Her academic journey has been filled with formative experiences. Presenting her research on fast fashion\u2019s exploitation of children at the Student Research Symposium was a highlight. So was the graduate seminar where she studied post-war development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aligning international legal frameworks with global sustainability goals. \u201cThe concepts I\u2019ve learned in law, sociology, and political science all interconnected in ways that made my studies feel incredibly relevant,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n Maya credits faculty like ProfessorJack Baldwin LeClair<\/a>, who guided her through four courses and challenged her to think more critically. \u201cHe may seem like one of the tougher professors, but he always recognized when students put in the effort,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Outside the classroom, Maya thrived as a graduate assistant in the Political Science department, helping mentor undergraduates navigating complex case law. One student she tutored returned months later to share how Maya\u2019s guidance helped her succeed. \u201cIt made me realize that I can support others the same way faculty and mentors supported me,\u201d Maya says.<\/p>\n But her time at Montclair was not without difficulty. She experienced the loss of two grandparents during the pandemic and struggled with doubts about her own abilities. \u201cI learned that I need to give myself more credit,\u201d she says. \u201cRather than downplaying my achievements, I\u2019ve learned to appreciate the effort it took to get here.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Maya plans to spend time with family in Macedonia before pursuing full-time work in law, international affairs, or public service. She\u2019s open to where her path takes her, but one thing is certain: she\u2019ll be walking it with confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccess is when I\u2019m contributing meaningfully\u2014to society and to myself,\u201d she says. \u201cIf I can live a life where I\u2019m satisfied in both my career and my relationships, that\u2019s what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n Prospective Students and Parents:<\/strong> Learn more about Montclair admissions<\/a>, our combined BA\/MA in Jurisprudence, Law & Governance<\/a> and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Graduate Spotlight: After five years of academic excellence, research, mentorship, and growth, this Law and Governance graduate is ready to take on the world\u2014and hopes to inspire others along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":212756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-212755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-7_homepage-news-and-events","category-138_political-science-and-law","category-student-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212755"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212764,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212755\/revisions\/212764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/chss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Ready to Start Your Montclair Journey?<\/strong><\/h2>\n