Maria grew up in Tampa, Florida after her family relocated from Colombia in 1999. She moved to Baltimore in 2011 to attend Johns Hopkins University where she received her BA in International Studies with a minor in Economics. During her time at Johns Hopkins, Maria spent a semester abroad at Sciences Po, Paris, and received a travel grant to conduct research on urban agriculture in Copenhagen.
In Baltimore, Maria interned at the International Rescue Committee and became an Urban Arts Leadership Program (UALP) Fellow through the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. As an UALP Fellow, she was placed with Maryland Citizens for the Arts where she gained experience advocating for public art funding at the state and national level. After graduating in 2014, Maria worked for Central Baltimore Partnership, a community development nonprofit, where she managed their community grant programs and worked on projects in transportation and creative placemaking.
She’s excited to study and work with MASD, her classmates, and MICA to continue exploring ways that art and design can be used as a tool for community development and engagement.
Thesis: How might we support Latinx youth and families reach higher education?