‘The Motivator’

UTRGV hurdler Orwell “The Motivator” Maylor rides his bike around school every day equipped with a whiteboard and a warm smile, just enough to make someone’s day.

He has been virtually impossible for people in Edinburg to miss. Instead of checking Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter, Maylor uses his free time proactively to spread kind messages to students and staff alike.

Maylor spreads messages such as “Fail big, succeed bigger,” “Believe in yourself” and “Find a passion.” He has been receiving a lot of attention for promoting positivity in the world. Not many people would take time from their day to bring hope to someone else.

Maylor also stands on the corner of University Drive and Sugar Road in his free time with the whiteboard and the message of the day. His messages not only reach university students, but community members as well, who take that route to go to work or home.

Maylor is not part of a student organization or religious group that requires him to promote positivity. No one is paying him, either. He is doing this selflessly of his own free will because he cares for the overall well-being of people.

“I care about the world and what is happening. That’s why I do this every day. It’s like my calling—to put a message on the board and just ride around with it,” he said.

The psychology senior was born and raised in the tropical country of Jamaica. He is the youngest of seven in his family, and came to the U.S. three years ago on a track scholarship. He first attended the University of Maryland Eastern Shore but transferred to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley after his freshman year. Maylor aspires to become a motivational speaker upon graduating from college.

Maylor is a 400 meter hurdler for UTRGV’s track team and also runs the 4×400 relay.

Teammates support his positivity campaign.

“He has been through a lot recently, so I believe that the way he inspires also helps him as a person,” said fellow UTRGV hurdler Rodrigo Silva. “I just hope he continues doing it.”

Aside from being a full-time student, athlete and motivator, Maylor works for Alpha Fit as a CrossFit trainer. Despite a busy schedule, he finds the time to do it all.

Maylor stays focused by setting a certain amount of time for different tasks and sticking to it. The key is in being strict. That mentality is applied to his social media, studying, working out and everything else he does in a given day.

“Be strict about it. Don’t get carried away with what is happening on social media. School first. You have to be disciplined. Remember your goals,” Maylor said Oct. 22 in a live chat with UTRGV Social Media and Digital Marketing Manager Josse “Alex” Garrido via Facebook.

His positive outlook comes from a dark place in his life. Difficult situations often arise unexpectedly. For Maylor, rock bottom came like a storm two years ago with the loss of his mother, sister and grandmother.

“I know what it feels like to have no motivation. Just two years ago, I lost my mom and then the following year I lost my sister and my grandma,” he said, recalling the traumatic experience and bitterness he felt inside. “So, in a 14-month period I lost three of the most influential women in my life.

“So that’s why I do this every day because you never know what someone else is going through. For me to do this, to just try to impact people, is something I look forward to every day.”

When you can’t find the goodness in yourself, the motivation for the day, understand that there are people out there who love and believe in you, like Maylor, who does so effortlessly and without fear.

Mass communication junior Eduardo Salinas is one of the many people Maylor has motivated since he started sharing his positivity.

“It’s kind of stressing to be a college student, so just to see someone walking around and spreading positive messages really helps me personally because I feel that someone who is going through college that is just like me and is still being positive makes me question why I shouldn’t be positive about what I am going through,” Salinas said.

Maylor hopes for the world to be a better place and to create a positive chain reaction.

“If I can make just one person smile, I’ve already accomplished it all,” Maylor said.

Do as Maylor and smile or say hello, and remember “no matter what happens in life you can overcome it. You are resilient enough to overcome any situation, and you can still smile regardless of what it is.”

So, when you see Maylor on campus remember his story and how we all go through difficult situations in life. A simple smile can go a long way.