Maria is a first-generation graduate student pursuing her studies in Public Policy. Leveraging her 10+ years of lived expertise in the child welfare system, she actively engages in various capacities that intersect with such, including a lead consulting role with Youth Collaboratory, a policy fellowship with the Commission on the Connecticut General Assembly and the Office of the Child Advocate, and national membership with the Jim Casey Fellowship. Moreover, her Indigenous and Pacifica background fuels her passion for the liberation of Black, Indigenous, LGTBQIA2S+, and disability communities meanwhile finding substantive avenues toward decolonizing systems through the utilization of data, law, and policy. You will discover that Maria embodies a "lift as you climb" ethos, prioritizing power sharing, communal healing, youth engagement, and trauma-responsive care as central pillars of her leadership approach. Ultimately, Maria aspires to enhance her legal studies through candidacy in a law program, with the aim of becoming a formidable advocate for equitable justice and systemic decolonial reform. Maria is an avid lover of learning and nature! She's always enjoyed helping people. She aspires to continue her post-secondary education studies by going to law school, where, in 10 years, she can be an advocate alongside many other professionals with lived expertise.