Davis with Maya: a digital diary

Maya Yoo, founder and manager of both @dailyucdavis and @daviswithmaya, is impacting her community one post and one smile at a time

By DOMENICA PELOSO — features@theaggie.org

From scrapbooks to diaries, humans have always tried to wrangle memories onto blank pages before they’re lost to the fast-paced day-to-day. But for Maya Yoo, a second-year design major, her experiences as a wide-eyed college student are not only neatly catalogued — they’re open to the public through her Instagram accounts @dailyucdavis and @daviswithmaya. 

“I started @dailyucdavis because I felt like Davis was such a beautiful place with genuinely amazing people, and I wanted to represent that well,” Yoo said via email. “I also wanted to create something that actually serves students — not just information, but content that helps them see Davis life and feel more connected and excited.”

Yoo first started posting on @dailyucdavis in February 2025, covering everything from freshman Moove-in day to Welcome Week. Shortly thereafter, she began posting on @daviswithmaya in March 2025.

Though both accounts feature similar content, the main difference lies in the fact that @dailyucdavis follows a joint adventure between three roommates, and @daviswithmaya spotlights Yoo’s personal journey as a college student. 

“At first, I was definitely nervous putting myself out there, especially with the pressure of how people would perceive me,” Yoo said. “But at the same time, I was really excited because I knew I was building something meaningful to me, and it’s been really special seeing that actually come to life.”

Though Yoo started @dailyucdavis on her own, she eventually began co-creating alongside her two first-year roommates: Isabella Guaderrama, a second-year psychology major, and Brittany Wu, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major. 

The three girls first contacted one another through the @ucd.2028 admitted students Instagram page, eventually moving in together in September 2024. 

“They're like my second family,” Wu said. “They're really adventurous friends who have pushed me to step outside of my boundaries and try new things.”

Their early posts feature relatable experiences only UC Davis students would understand, such as enjoying the Latitude andino bowls, ordering Pachamama Coffee at the CoHo and petting llamas to cope with finals week. 

In addition to creating charmingly entertaining content, @dailyucdavis also serves as a source of firsthand information, according to Wu. 

“The account was originally going to be something small, just for our friends to see,” Wu said. “But once our videos kept gaining traction, that’s when we realized that we could make this into an account that's helpful for students — especially because we thought it was really hard to find resources our first year.”

For incoming students, the account provides in-depth dorm tours of all three residential areas on campus, a series of highlights dedicated to answering Davis-specific questions and a Linktr.ee with helpful resources.

“Over the summer, we were getting a ton of messages from both students and parents about Davis,” Guaderrama said. “I'm from [Southern California], so it especially meant a lot when parents would reach out asking how their child might cope with the move. For me, that was really the ‘I made it’ moment.”

The account also appeals to UC Davis students at large, featuring a Downtown Davis food series, inspiration for around-town activities and general overviews of on-campus events such as Whole Earth Festival, Picnic Day and Lawntopia. 

“I love when we cover campus events, because there's been so many times when those videos are the most popular — and while that is a good incentive for us on its own, it's also a reward in the sense that people are seeing this other side of Davis that nobody talks about,” Guaderrama said.  

Other aspects of @dailyucdavis that draw students in are their sponsored giveaways and business collaborations. 

“Collaborations are my favorite, because they’ve turned into real relationships,” Yoo said. “I’ve gotten to personally connect with local business owners not just as partners, but as friends. I also handle all outreach and organization myself, so it’s really rewarding to see something go from an idea to a full event or campaign."

In May 2025, one collaboration in particular took off. Yoo and Wu filmed a challenge video in front of the downtown T%, captioned “Who can get their boba first?” The official @teapercentus Instagram account reposted their video, and the video currently has over 400k views at the time of publication. 

From the beginning, it’s been a steady climb for @dailyucdavis. Within its first month, the account amassed over 1.2 million profile views — the result of regularly posting two to three times a day and building collaborations early on, according to Yoo. 

After a little over five months of consistent posting, @dailyucdavis reached 5,000 followers in July 2025. At the time of publication, the account currently has over 6,400 followers. 

“I see @dailyucdavis continuing to grow into a trusted hub for student life, especially as I go into my third year,” Yoo said. “I want it to represent Davis authentically and be something students can rely on.”

Rather than parting ways after moving out of the freshman dorms, the three girls opted to live together for yet another year. Since then, their relationship as content creators and close friends has only deepened. 

“[Wu] and [Guaderrama] mean so much to me,” Yoo said. “They’re my friends who I've been so blessed to get to live life with and share parts of this journey together.” 

Around the same time Yoo created @dailyucdavis, she also created @daviswithmaya — which focuses more on her personal interests, struggles and aspirations. In just one month, the account amassed 5.4 million profile views, with multiple videos hitting over a million views. 

Much like her shared account, Yoo’s personal account features numerous resources for both incoming freshmen and current UC Davis students. 

However, one thing that sets her solo account apart is the @daviswithmaya-branded Amazon storefront, $3 dorm packing list, $7 Davis life guide and free “College Life 101” eight-module course available through the account’s Linktr.ee. 

“As a [first-year] coming into Davis, I felt really overwhelmed and anxious trying to figure everything out and couldn’t find clear resources,” Yoo said. “I created the dorm packing list, Davis guide and college crash course based on what I personally needed and struggled with. Seeing how well they’ve done just showed me that other students needed that same guidance too.”

Yoo describes herself as organized, driven and outgoing — all attributes that shine through in her extracurricular activities. 

In addition to taking a full-time student workload, Yoo is also involved in The Midnight Grind as the business and video lead, CodeLab as a designer, #include as a designer and marketing lead, Aggie Studios as a volunteer photographer, Davis Christian Fellowship as the treasurer and outreach lead, women’s club basketball and several brand ambassadorships with companies such as CapCut, Beachwaver and American Eagle.

Most notably, Yoo is one of 50 national ambassadors for the popular skincare brand Hero Cosmetics, for which she hosts monthly giveaways to the students of UC Davis.

 
“Before one of my Hero Cosmetics pop-ups, I had a midterm and posted that I was running late,” Yoo said. “When I got there, there was a long line of around 50 people waiting, and multiple girls asked me how my midterm went and how I was feeling. It was such a small moment, but it genuinely meant a lot to me. That kind of personal connection is really why I do this."

While Yoo’s ambition has brought her exciting opportunities and enriching experiences, she shared that being a content creator has caused her general stress and burnout, too. 

“I’ve learned a lot about my limits and the importance of prioritizing my mental health,” Yoo said. “I’ve also built trust [from my user base] by being genuine and consistent. I try to show my real life, the good and the stressful, and talk about things students actually go through — like navigating Davis, managing stress and even bringing in my faith.”

In terms of the future of @daviswithmaya, Yoo envisions growing the account into a personal brand centered around authenticity and care. Though balancing content creation alongside challenging schoolwork and demanding extracurriculars tested Yoo’s endurance at times, she shared that both @dailyucdavis and @daviswithmaya brought about some of her closest friends and fondest memories as well. 

“During Welcome Week, I remember people coming up to me to take pictures and just talk, and those moments made everything feel really real and personal,” Yoo said. “Being a content creator has taught me that authenticity matters most. I’m really grateful for the people, opportunities, and impact this has brought.” 

Written by: Domenica Peloso — features@theaggie.org