UCLA Fielding School of Public Health student Maria Mayet receives Academic Excellence Award

A UCLA Fielding School of Public Health student has been recognized for academic excellence at the school, ranked as among the top public health institutions in the United States.

Maria Mayet, who graduated this month with her bachelor of arts in public health, received the Kim-Farley Family Award for Academic Excellence in Public Health at UCLA Fielding’s 2026 Student Academic Honors and Awards Ceremony.

“My long-term goal is to work in underserved areas in family and/or emergency medicine as a physician assistant, providing patient-centered care using the knowledge and skills I have gained through my studies and experiences at UCLA,” said Mayet, who grew up in Yangon, Myanmar, and moved to Walnut, Calif., in 2021, earning an associates of arts degree at Mount San Antonio College in 2024. “As I continue pursuing a career in medicine and public health, I hope to contribute to programs that not only treat illness but also address the root causes of health inequities and create healthier communities”.

The Kim-Farley award goes to undergraduate public health majors – in both BA and BS programs - with the highest cumulative GPAs at the end of the winter quarter in their senior year. The award is funded by an endowment from Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, professor-in-residence with joint appointments in the departments of epidemiology and community health sciences at UCLA Fielding, and his spouse, Han Ju Kim-Farley, a public health graduate of UC Berkeley.

Mayet’s work experience includes professional and volunteer positions at hospitals in Baldwin Park, Santa Monica, and West Covina, California, and as a volunteer and intern at Breathe Southern California, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that serves children and families with pulmonary health issues. 

“By creating hands-on materials such as an interactive lung model, a DIY inhaler holder activity, and child-friendly educational brochures, I learned how powerful prevention and early education can be in improving health literacy and self-management,” Mayet said. “These experiences are part of what has taught me that improving public health requires more than clinical care. Public health requires prevention, education, and systems that support underserved populations before health problems worsen.”

Along with her academic achievement at UCLA, Mayet has also worked in the Americorps College Corps program for two years, including at school and food programs in Los Angeles, and served as treasurer of the Pre-Physician Assistant Club at UCLA.

“The intent of these awards is to support our undergraduate students with interest in serving in public health agencies, who may often be first-generation college students, whether they are going on to a medical or doctoral program or not,” said Kim-Farley, a physician who served as director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health from 2004-18. “It is really designed to support bringing the brightest of our students into the public health workforce, and Han Ju and I are very pleased that Maria, with her combination of community service and academic excellence, is one of this year’s honorees.”