Photograph by Troy Harvey/The CW
All American: Homecoming star Geffri Maya doesn’t just play an HBCU student on TV; she was an HBCU student herself. In the early 2010s, she attended Clark Atlanta University and just last year was honored as one of its 40 Under 40. Like her character Simone Hicks, she is a Los Angeles native who also attended an HBCU in Atlanta.
Since the spinoff series of the popular All American premiered on The CW in 2022, it has cultivated a lively fanbase, with many young people falling in love with Simone and her journey balancing friends, lovers, her studies, and playing tennis at the fictional Bringston University in Atlanta. Simone had already been through a lot on All American. She gave her son up for adoption and got a marriage annulled before deciding to return to playing tennis and enroll at the HBCU where her aunt Amara Patterson (played by Atlantan Kelly Jenrette) was employed. At Bringston, she built a tribe that includes her nonbinary bestie Nate, former aspiring doctor-turned-dancer Keisha, former tennis rival Thea, dueling love interests in Bringston baseball players Damon and Landon, among others.
In the third and final season, she faces an even greater challenge than which young man to choose, playing tennis, and making it to graduation—being diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness. Here, Maya speaks on her character’s development and reveals how much of a surprise it was to be tapped for the role, what it was like to work with tennis star Coco Gauff, and why she’s grateful for her time in Atlanta.
Why did you decide to attend Clark Atlanta University?
Clark Atlanta came to me because one of my best friends in high school said we should go to this school near Spelman and Morehouse. We can really get in.
What did you find once you got there?
Doing your research is different than actually being accepted, going, and learning about the history of your school—walking the halls and sitting in the classrooms and learning the history of the dorms, that W.E.B. Du Bois taught there, and how Spike Lee also was educated there by my journalism professor. It was just a lot of things that I felt were rewarding to me that I didn’t really expect.
How did All American: Homecoming come about for you?
I will never forget. I got a call from my team. It was random and they were like, Hey, they’re planning a spinoff from All American and they want to do it on you. And I was like, Oh, interesting, because I was just on the show as a recurring guest. So it was one of those situations where you wouldn’t expect an opportunity like this.
Then I spoke with Nkechi [Okoro Carroll] the showrunner of All American: Homecoming, and [she basically] told me her ideas about this world, this character at an HBCU, and honoring and celebrating the legacy and the culture, but also telling stories about Black existence through education and through sports that are not necessarily supported throughout our community but also highlighting family and what it means to build a tribe, really important things that kids in college do learn and get exposed to and also develop on their own through their own experiences.
How did you feel about it?
It resonated with me because that was my experience being born and raised in L.A. and then moving across the country to kind of redefine myself or just start a new chapter of life. I was down 100 percent because I knew what it would mean to the culture and what it meant to me, someone who lived and experienced it. It was important to be a part of something like that.
Where is Simone in her journey in season three?
Everyone has a moment in their life. It doesn’t matter what decade; it doesn’t matter what season that caused the turning point in your evolution. I think this season, in particular, she’s enduring so many challenges and so many moments of evolution within herself, first and foremost, and she’s shedding in a way, and that’s something that we all experience, especially in college. I would definitely say her theme is heavy on evolution and resilience.
Simone is battling breast cancer and she’s just a college student. What has this storyline been like for you?
It’s a very eye-opening character arc because I did not correlate cancer with that age group or demographic. Growing up, I always thought cancer was something you developed when you got older. It was quite jarring when they told me that’s what they wanted to do, but I was receptive because it does bring awareness and does open pathways to conversations, especially about women’s health and our bodies and our autonomy for our bodies. No one knows our bodies better than us, and no one has the right to dictate how we operate in terms of our health and in terms of our wellness. It was a very severe process just considering the conversations I had to have and the exposure to real life experiences from survivors. It’s very depressing, but I’m grateful that I had those moments, because it really opened my eyes and expanded my vulnerability in a new way, especially on a show that was more so catered to a younger audience. It was very heavy, but I think it’s important.
Last season, Simone and her tennis teammates were detained by law enforcement, which was inspired in part by a real incident that happened to HBCU Delaware State University’s women’s lacrosse team back in 2022. What did it mean for you to have tennis star Coco Gauff come on board as herself in her screen acting debut for that particular episode?
We spent a few days working together with her, and she was very kind and very humble. I think humility is so important when you’re gifted. I was very grateful to have experienced that with her. And just considering all that she’s going to continue to do in her field and all that she has done, it was an honor to have her there and to be in an episode that meant so much, again, for our culture. Things have gotten better from our ancestors, but there’s still so much work to do. It’s more than just a moment on television. I’m just so grateful to be a part of some change, to be real, while also doing what I love to do. So to have Coco Gauff to be a part of that, that says a lot about what she stands for. And it’s not just her athleticism; it stands for so much more. So, yes, I’m grateful and appreciative of her, her work, and her courage to come on and be a person that’s so major for the show.
As an HBCU alum yourself, what are your thoughts on Howard alum Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign run, which could potentially make her the first woman U.S. president?
I stand by her 100 percent and I stand by her purpose in this season. This is going to be major for our country, major for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated [of which Harris is a member], major for Howard University, major for Black women, major for Black people, major for Black families, major for other Black politicians, major for all people who look up to her, and major for our country.
What role has Atlanta played in your life and in this moment of your career?
I will always say that Atlanta is a huge part of who I am today because I grew up there. In terms of my adult years, those are very pivotal, ages 18 until 22. That’s a lot. I had to learn to take care of myself, my apartment, learn what it meant to have a car. It’s where I learned how to grow up, how to survive. I’ll always give Atlanta much love for what it taught me about myself and how to be proud of my existence as a Black woman. I don’t know if Homecoming would have happened without that experience. It’s just serendipitous. I’m grateful for Simone. I’m grateful for Homecoming and what it’s meant for me and for the culture for the last couple of years.
The third and final season of All American: Homecoming airs on The CW Monday nights at 8 p.m. until the end of September. The show is available for streaming on The CW and Netflix.
