Moved by what she saw, instead of attending medical school Ajmera started classes at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy; with facilities provided by Duke and professor William Ascher she applied for and won a seed grant from Echoing Green.
[8] This initial funding helped her build an organization to support innovative grassroots efforts on behalf of vulnerable children around the world.
[11] Since 2011, Ajmera is a professorial lecturer at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and served as a visiting scholar from 2011 to 2013.
[13] Maya serves on the boards of directors of Kids in Need of Defense,[14] Echoing Green, [15] North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Foundation, and Sibley Memorial Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine.
[16] She also serves on numerous advisory boards, including the Center for Advanced Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University, and the American India Foundation.
[18] She was a trustee for the Blue Moon Fund and served on the Washington Area Women's Foundation board for nine years before becoming part of that organization's Leadership Council.
The award is given to women who have made amazing accomplishments in their professions and who serve as inspiring role models for female students.
[25] Many of Maya's books have forewords written by prominent individuals, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Melinda French Gates, Julianne Moore, Bill Bradley, Marian Wright Edelman, John Hope Franklin, and even Kermit the Frog.