Maya Soetoro-Ng facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maya Soetoro-Ng
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Soetoro-Ng in 2013
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| Born |
Maya Kasandra Soetoro
August 15, 1970 Jakarta, Indonesia
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| Education |
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Konrad Ng
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | |
| Relatives | Barack Obama (half-brother) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |
| Thesis | Border pictures: Hybrid narratives for the humanities classroom (2006) |
| Doctoral advisor | David Ericson |
Maya Kasandra Soetoro-Ng (born August 15, 1970) is an American educator and author. She was born in Indonesia. She works at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. There, she helps lead the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Maya Soetoro-Ng is also the half-sister of Barack Obama. He was the 44th president of the United States.
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Early Life and School
Maya Soetoro-Ng was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her mother was Ann Dunham, an American anthropologist. Her father was Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian businessman. She has a half-brother, Barack Obama. She also has other half-siblings from her parents' later marriages.
Maya Soetoro-Ng was named after the famous American poet Maya Angelou. She spent some of her childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii. Her mother taught her at home for a while. From 1981 to 1984, she went to the Jakarta International School.
Later, she moved to Hawaii. She attended Punahou School in Honolulu, graduating in 1988. This is the same school her brother, Barack Obama, attended.
College and Advanced Degrees
Maya Soetoro-Ng went to Barnard College of Columbia University. She earned her first degree there. She then got two master's degrees from New York University. These degrees were in teaching languages and in education.
In 2006, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her studies focused on international education. She has a close relationship with her brother, Barack Obama. Their families often celebrate holidays together in Hawaii.
Career and Work
Maya Soetoro-Ng is a specialist at the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. This institute is part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She teaches classes about peace education. She also teaches about the history of peace movements.
She helps students with internships in peace studies. She also organizes community service programs. She works as a consultant for the Obama Foundation. In this role, she helps develop a program for leaders in Asia and the Pacific.
Author and Educator
Soetoro-Ng has worked as a high school history teacher. She taught at schools in Honolulu, Hawaii. Before that, she taught in New York City.
She wrote a children's book called Ladder to the Moon. This book was inspired by her mother and her daughter. It was published in 2011. She is also working on other books. One is about peace education. Another is a novel for young adults.
In 2009, she helped publish her mother's research. It became a book about village industries in Indonesia. In 2019, she co-founded The Peace Studio. This group helps artists and storytellers promote peace.
Research and Peacebuilding
Maya Soetoro-Ng's research focuses on multicultural education. She studies how stories can help students understand different identities. She believes in learning history from many viewpoints.
She has created peace education programs for schools. She also works with groups like Ceeds of Peace. This group helps families and educators raise peacebuilding leaders. She also co-founded the Institute for Climate and Peace. This group works on climate justice and peace.
Obama's Presidential Campaigns
In 2007, Maya Soetoro-Ng helped her brother, Barack Obama, in his campaign for president. She took time off to support him. She spoke at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. There, she talked about growing up with her brother.
She also spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. She highlighted the achievements of the Obama administration.
Personal Life
In 2003, Maya Soetoro married Konrad Ng. He is a Chinese Canadian. He is now a US citizen. Konrad Ng has worked as a director at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. He was also a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is now the executive director of the Doris Duke Shangri La Center.
Maya and Konrad have two daughters. Their names are Suhaila and Savita. Maya Soetoro-Ng has said she is "philosophically Buddhist." She can speak Indonesian, Spanish, and English.
See also
