About Maria
Maria is an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) with more than 25 years of experience in the arts and education. She has worked with diverse populations, from at-risk teens in the city, to college students at USC, CalArts, and Emerson College, where she is currently on faculty. Maria recently completed the “Transformational Teaching” program, and is a three-time winner of the Emerson College Professional Development faculty grant.
UCLA I College Counseling Certification | With Distinction
California Institute of the Arts | MFA, scholarship recipient
Emerson College | BFA magna cum laude, Harvard/ART Internship, Gold Key Honor Society
Sackett Street Writer’s Workshop NYC | Non-fiction Creative Writing Workshop
Named a VOYAGE LA’S “HIDDEN GEM”! Read the interview here.
Fully vetted by nationally recognized professional organizations
Community Service
Maria believes in accessibility in higher ed, and in building a better educational community for the next generation. Students meeting the QuestBridge Scholars criteria are eligible to apply for an Act One Scholarship. In addition to donating thousands of hours of career and educational consulting services, Maria has served her community in the following ways:
College Counselor— QuestBridge Scholar Match, a national nonprofit organization connecting academically outstanding students from low-income backgrounds with opportunities at top colleges
Executive Board of Directors— CalArts Alumni Association (over a decade of service in multiple roles)
Board— Emerson College Alumni Association
Co-President— Agoura High School Music Boosters
Member— Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD) Visual and Performing Arts Access and Equity Committee
Communications Lead— LVUSD Association of GATE Parents
Chair— LVUSD’s Chaparral Wellness Committee
Member— LVUSD Student 360 Whole-Child Parent Committee
From Maria:
My story is a classic one: a creative kid with a variety of interests in public speaking, teaching and theatre, whose parents wanted me to attend law school. I started on that path because I thought it was a good idea too, and enrolled in a school that wasn’t a fit. It was clear I wasn’t happy.
Then, my parents gave me the gift of a college counselor. She helped me make sense of my diverse natural gifts. I went on to graduate from a school that suited my interest in combining education and the arts. Eventually, I became a full-time teaching artist and performer at a theater company in Chicago. I decided to get my MFA in theater so I would have the experience and credentials to both feed my spirit and expand my work in higher education.
I’m now a college professor, professional actor, and college counselor living in Los Angeles. It’s my greatest joy to pay forward what I learned from my college counselor: that, when given the right tools and time, a young adult can discover a fulfilling and meaningful educational journey and career. College counseling is how I pair my passions and creative experience with mentoring the young adults who will shape the future of the world.
Act One of your college journey starts here.