It is with great sadness that I write to let you know that Maya Segal, class of 2025, died on June 2 in New York, NY. She was 22 years old.
A double major in Art History and Mathematics who was on the Dean’s List, Maya was an endlessly curious scholar, talented artist, writer, musician, and gamer.
Professor Caroline Turnage-Butterbaugh shared the following about Maya as a student: “Maya was a careful yet creative thinker, and she was a joy to talk math with. At the end of the winter 2023 term, she stopped by my office hours to discuss a conjecture she had formulated and spoke with much enthusiasm about balancing her intuitive ideas with rigorous proof writing. I remember the interaction quite well because it was uncommon, interesting, and engaging. I feel fortunate to have shared such moments with her.”
If you did not know Maya personally, you can learn more about her from the obituary here. We also hope you will join us in the fall for a special ceremony at our Student Memorial, where we will add a ring in honor of her life.
Should you need support, please feel free to reach out to the Student Health and Counseling Center, the Dean of Students Office, the Chaplain’s Office, or the Employee Assistance Program. We extend our deepest sympathies to Maya’s family, friends, classmates, and faculty and staff mentors as we mourn this loss to our community.
In sorrow,
President Alison Byerly
Comments
I lived on the same floor as Maya during my freshman year at Carleton - second Goodhue. I remember playing Super Smash Brothers and other Switch games with Maya and friends in the hall lounge and down in the larger superlounge.
I visited NYC in August/September 2023 for a concert. I met up with Maya in Central Park one of the afternoons I was there, and we spent some time wandering around and chatting on a park bench before getting ice cream and going into random bookstores and record stores. On a trip to a record store, Maya found a newly mastered version of Joni Michell's Blue on LP, and was thrilled to have found it. Her boundless enjoyment of what she liked was frankly infectious.
I will always appreciate Maya's enthusiasm for what she loves, her wit, and her headstrongness. She quickly grabbed on to amusing schtick and stuck to it, making it even funnier over time. She was never afraid to call me or anyone else out when she thought I was wrong. May her memory be a blessing to everyone who ever interacted with her, and my sincere condolences to her family. What a loss.
I taught Maya Linear Algebra in the Spring of 2022, and it was such a pleasure to have her in the class. She was incredibly bright, and picked up abstract mathematics with joy and seeming ease. She drew genuine excitement and energy from the process of learning. I wish I had the chance to get to know her better, but I very much enjoyed the few office hours conversations we had.
May her memory always be a comfort to the many whose lives she touched.