Staff Sgt. Shoshana Maya (second from left) pose for a picture with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Dr. E. Casey Wardynski (far left) Gen. Paul E. Funk, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) (second from right) and Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, Commanding General U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) (far right) at the Pentagon January 22, 2020. Maya was recognized as the top recruiter in her brigade and was presented a coin and a letter of appreciation for her hard work and commitment to the recruiting mission.
CONROE, Texas — “Treat every applicant the way I would treat my son if he was the one I was working with right now,” said Staff Sgt. Shoshana Maya.
Maya thinks what makes her so successful in the recruiting field is the fact that she is very empathetic to others. One of her military occupational jobs was Human Resource Specialist, now she is a military recruiter.
Maya said recruiting is not easy for her. She is a single mother with a 7-year-old son. She drives 45 minutes one way to take him to school every day. Navigating her personal life and Army life can at times be difficult, she added.
“I am a workaholic,” said Maya. “I work crazy hours and I work on weekends but I make it work. He is super happy, we spend time together, if it wasn’t for the Army my son would not have the life he has,” she added.
Staff Sgt. Xian Fan and Staff Sgt. Shoshana Maya, at the Annual Training Conference/Recruiting ball in Sugarland, Texas, Nov. 18, 2019. Maya was recently recognized by Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, Command Sgt. Maj. Ted Copeland as the best recruiter in her brigade, even though she had been doing this job for only eight months. She was recognized by Copeland with a letter and a coin.
“I am thankful to the military for everything I have in my life,” said Maya. “My son understands that and he wants to serve when he is older, he loves seeing what I do. He loves coming to work with me, for him going to a reserve center is like taking a trip to Disney World, she added.”
Maya recently received a coin and a congratulatory letter from the command sergeant major of the Army Reserve for her accomplishments as a recruiter. She is currently assigned to Conroe Recruiting Station, Houston Recruiting Battalion, 5th Recruiting Brigade, United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC).
“Getting a coin and a letter from Command Sgt. Maj. Copeland is hands-down the coolest thing ever,” said Maya.
Staff Sgt. Shoshana Maya and her son Tristan Lyttle enjoy some time off in this undated photo. Maya credits her son Tristan as part of the reason why she is so successful in her military career.
As a human resources specialist and as a military recruiter, Maya has been able to help more people than she could ever dream off.
“I like being able to help Soldiers navigate their careers, I think I am so successful in my field because I am so passionate about it,” said Maya.
“Seeing young NCOs doing the right thing excites me,” said Copeland. “I was so impressed by Maya’s tone of excitement in her email to me, her demeanor, the way she responded to a challenging career and is excelling, she is truly honored to be allowed to do this tough job.”
“I can tell she has pride in being the best she can and doing the right thing,” said Copeland. “She is truly ‘getting after it’,” he added.
Copeland said, Maya’s personality and achievements as an NCO and recruiter epitomizes the type of NCO he wants others to emulate. Maya is the type of personal representative who lives out the “This is my squad” campaign, he added.
“This is my squad” is a leadership philosophy and communication platform to cultivate a culture of care, pride and ownership in small units across the total Army. Squads are not limited to the infantry company. All Soldiers and families have a squad they can be proud of.
Good leaders want their teammates to be their very best at everything they do. It bolsters pride in their squads and it inspires them to be Noncommissioned Officers.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the mentors I found, they molded me into the Soldier I am now,” said Maya. “They kept me on my toes, every Soldier should have that person,” she added.
Staff Sgt. Nicole Loftis and Staff Sgt. Shoshana Maya at a restaurant in Conroe, Texas, May 2015.Maya is a military recruiter assigned to Conroe Recruiting Station, Houston Recruiting Battalion, 5th Recruiting Brigade, United States Army Recruiting Command. She is currently the number one Army Reserve Recruiter in her brigade and is tied for first place overall in USAREC.
Maya said she has wanted to be a recruiter for the last seven years. She wanted it more than anything and had to basically move heaven and Earth to get it, she added.
“I knew I wanted to make it my career and I knew I absolutely love it,” she said. “I go to work every single day, I sometimes work on weekends because I love that so much,” she added.
Maya knows well the responsibility that recruiters have to meet the mission and provide opportunity for new Soldiers.
“I knew early in my military career I wanted to do right by the Soldier, take care of them. You know there is nothing worse than having a Soldier come to you and say they didn’t want the job or, ‘The recruiter pushed me into it. I was lied to.’ I had those Soldiers and I enjoyed helping them figure out how to get their careers back on track.”
“There is not one day when I don’t love going into work,” said Maya. “As soon as I meet that new kid and they are excited, they are smiling, it just makes it so worth it,” she added.
“Whether I leave the Army as a Staff Sergeant or as a Sergeant First Class, being able to change and affect the lives of so many people, those are the things I will think of as the shining moments of my career,” said Maya.
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