A dream is a wish your heart makes. Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, Maya Peretzman declared that her dream was to be on stage. “I always wanted to be an actress, and NYC seemed like the perfect place to start this journey.” At nineteen, Maya moved to NYC with determination to make her wish come true.
Four years went by in Peretzman’s undergraduate program to earn a BFA in acting. Unfortunately, after many unsuccessful audition and steps to make her dream of a reality, Peretzman concluded that this dream might take many years and full of disappointments and English not being her first language is an added barrier. “Nevertheless, I was still curious and eager to explore the world of acting further.” This was just the start.
Peretzman moved back to Israel a place she knows the best. Later, she enrolled in an MA program at Lesley College. The transition of her career happened when Peretzman began working with kids surrounding severe mental health issues and wrote her thesis on drama therapy and well-being. “I became deeply interested in in the healing aspects of the creative arts; these worlds of imagination, creativity and humanity were the places I wanted to explore and get familiar with.” Therefore, pursuing a PH. D revealed to be the most natural step forward in Peretzman dream.
Dreams like stories have different chapters with twists and turns but it is all worth it in the end. Peretzman encountered and found her way out of them. For instance, since her home Israel had no Ph. D programs in expressive arts therapy, she found the courage to leave and moved back to America, and more specifically, Boston to take the next chapter.
For Peretzman, it didn’t get easier the second time around. “I was a young mom who needed to establish a home for her child. Feeling alone and trying to understand social norms were among many matters I needed to figure out.” With time and experience, Peretzman was able to adapt. After completing her Ph.D., Maya Peretzman opened private practices. It was good and all but missed the community of students looking to be inspired to take action to create a better future. “We use art, creativity, and imagination to connect, to have strong open dialogues and I wanted to make such connections.”
Soon, Peretzman her wish was coming true. “A pat of this role of a teacher, I want to make sure I allow students to have a space where they can ask questions, exchange knowledge, and create a healthy and strong community.”
Now, being a professor at Dean College, Peretzman uses a passion of arts to make connections with her students so they can have a positive and safe outlet to express emotions that may be hidden and unaware of. Professor Maya was able to make her dream of arts a reality despite it being what she thought it was going to be initially.
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