Hello hello my feisty friends! My name is Mary Richardson, but y’all can call me Maru, I am a first-year here at Bates. I have an Instagram account called @motivationwithmaru that preaches all things positivity, healthy body-image, nourishing food, fitness, and self-care.

I wish to share these sort of messages around the Bates campus, so in each issue of The Bates Student I plan to share some pointers for leading a balanced, wellness-focused life, something that can often get put on the back burner behind academic priorities. For this edition of “Motivation with Maru,” I thought I’d start off by sharing a bit about me!

I am from Blue Hill, Maine, a small coastal town about 45 minutes from Acadia National Park and graduated from George Stevens Academy. I absolutely love to draw and am interested in possibly majoring in Studio Art and minoring in Education here at Bates, we shall see! So far, Bates has been all things bright and beautiful, I am so stoked to learn and grow here academically and athletically. I am planning on running for Bates in cross-country and track and field, but am currently easing back into training after a bout with tendinitis.

I’ve raced competitively since the 6th grade, but really started to struggle with body image as a sophomore. I decided to open up @motivationwithmaru on Instagram in November of my senior year to help me cope with struggles I experience in the hope that my posts would help comfort and lift up others. I am so stoked to share some motivational mojo with y’all via The Bates Student, so here’s to spreading positive pointers amongst the Bobcat community! Until next time my feisty friends, embrace the day!