Who is Shaka Smart's wife, Maya Payne Smart? Meet the Marquette basketball HC's better half

College basketball fans know Maya Payne Smart as the wife of Marquette men's basketball coach Shaka Smart's husband. However, she has been doing some incredible work herself that should not be ignored. The two have been married since 2006, but what Mrs. Smart has been able to do is unbelievable for the youth of America.

She has been trying to help Americans be more educated and continue to be part of the world of literature. Let's dive deeper into Mrs. Maya Payne Smart and what she has done to help thousands of Americans.

Who exactly is Maya Payne Smart?

According to her own website, Maya Payne Smart is an author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six and a parent educator and literacy advocate. She is part of the faculty and staff of Marquette University, and she continues to help families understand the importance of getting children involved with reading at an early age.

She graduated from Harvard University in 2002 and then continued her education by joining the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications in a graduate program in 2005.

Smart has shown the ability to put her thoughts into action as she has served in library and literacy organizations. She was a freelance writer for Kirkus Reviews in the Austin, Texas area for four years before joining Penguin Random House as an author in July 2020.

Her book outlines the state of literacy in the United States and suggests that parents should continue focusing on literacy for their young children to continue making them love stories. However, according to Smart, it is not the number-one focus, as conversation is the biggest key in her mind.

Her book was published on August 2, 2022, and has been getting incredible reviews as Amazon has it listed as a 4.8 out of five stars. Making sure kids are ready to read by the time they enter the school system is critical to her, and this being an excellent read for parents to ensure this happens is incredible.

However, this is not her only mission in life, as she and her husband, Shaka, have one daughter, Zora. It will be exciting to keep tabs on what the Smart family is doing next to help mold the future of the world one child at a time.

For more news about Marquette, click here.