Maya T. Prabhu

Maya T. Prabhu is a government and politics reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She joined the paper in 2017 and writes about criminal justice, social issues and the environment.

An award-winning journalist, Maya previously reported for The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., where she also worked as a Statehouse reporter. Before that she wrote for newspapers and online news organizations in South Carolina and Maryland.

Maya covered the 2008 and 2012 presidential inaugurations as well as the 2016 presidential election. Most recently, Maya contributed coverage to the high-profile 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race. Since she was in high school, Maya has made a point to mentor young girls working with various programs, including church, Big Brother Big Sisters and through Spelman College, her alma mater.

In 2018, she was recognized as an unsung hero by Myrtle Beach, S.C., for her coverage of the city and the black community during her three years working for the local newspaper. In 2017 she won an investigative reporting award from the National Association of Black Journalists for her investigation of public safety concerns created when a state underfunds and understaffs its prisons.

Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya received her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland.

After several years away from Atlanta, Maya returned in 2017 to join the AJC and is re-learning her way around the metro area.

Maya on her shero: I am constantly in awe of my mother. My mother began her studies at Queens College in New York immediately after graduating from high school. She dropped out after two years. After another two years, she gave birth to my sister. My sister and I say we are both only children because I didn’t come along for another 12 years. In 2004, months after I graduated from Spelman College, my 57-year-old mother enrolled at my alma mater as a part-time sophomore to continue her education. She hit some bumps along the way and illness has kept her from reaching her goal, but I remain amazed by the courage she displayed in choosing to return to school while also working part-time. Plus, there’s still hope – she’s only one class from finishing her degree. Seeing my mother’s drive and determination to take a second chance at achieving her dream continues to inspire me to strive for my goals.