UTSA Athletics is a national leader in supporting first-generation student-athletes. Throughout the 2025-26 school year, GoUTSA.com will spotlight the department’s first-generation student-athletes, coaches, administrators and staff.
Maya Linton will be a senior on the UTSA Women’s Basketball team in 2025-26. Linton is a first-generation college student from Duncanville, Texas, majoring in psychology in UTSA’s College for Health, Community and Policy.
Q: Why is attending college and graduating important for you?
Maya Linton: “It’s important to me because it just really shows all of the hard work that I’ve put in over the years. As much effort as I put into my sport, I put into my education. I want to make a name for myself and having opportunities on and off the court is something really big for me. It’s also a really big moment, not just for me, but for my family to give thanks back to them. Getting a degree is really important.”
Q: What does it mean to you to be a first-generation college student?
Maya Linton: “It means a lot. I’ve proven to myself that I can do it and that I can do anything I put my mind to. It’s something that I’m very proud of myself for.”
Q: How impactful is it to attend UTSA, where approximately 45 percent of students are first-generation, including more than one-third of student-athletes?
Maya Linton: “It’s amazing. UTSA has been home to me since I’ve gotten here. Just being a first-generation student and being surrounded by that in my atmosphere is just amazing. Seeing people come from what they come from – all different backgrounds – and we can still pursue what we want to and the careers that we want to have.”
Q: How important is competing in athletics to first-generation college students?
Maya Linton: “It’s very important and it’s very special. I want to create a career for myself on and off the court. If basketball falls through, I know that I have opportunities in the real world and the workforce. I can make a name for myself outside of my sport and have an identity for myself outside of my sport. It’s really special.”
Q: What advice would you give to other first-generation college students?
Maya Linton: “It doesn’t matter where you come from, what happened to you or what’s in your past, it’s all about your future. No matter where you came from, as long as you follow your dreams and follow your heart, anything can be possible.”