About Me

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

Specialty Areas

Arts performing and visual arts applications, portfolios, Auditions

Students Enrolled

Rochester Institute of Technology, Berklee College of Music, The University of the Arts, DePaul University, Binghamton University, The State University of New York, University of Massachusetts Amherst, McGill University, Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), Emerson College, The George Washington University, University of Delaware, University of Denver, Miami University -- Oxford, Webster University, Syracuse University, University of Vermont, Colorado State University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Auburn University, University of Wisconsin -- Madison, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey -- New Brunswick, Denison University, Oberlin College, Adelphi University, Sarah Lawrence College, SUNY -- Fredonia, Point Park University, SUNY -- Purchase College, Temple University, Drew University, Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, California Institute of the Arts, Columbia College Chicago, California State University, Long Beach, University of Oregon, University of California, Santa Cruz, Oregon State University, Portland State University, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California State University, Los Angeles, Lesley University, Drexel University, Hofstra University, Muhlenberg College, North Carolina State University -- Raleigh, South Dakota State University, University of California, Riverside, University of Connecticut, Pennsylvania State University -- University Park, Clark University, Goucher College, The Ohio State University -- Columbus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, California State University, Northridge, California State University, Chico, Marist College, Molloy College, CUNY -- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Ithaca College, Bard College, Dickinson College, University of New Hampshire, Rowan University, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey -- Honors College, Indiana University Bloomington, Saint Louis University, Boston University, University College of Dublin, University of Colorado Boulder, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Diego, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California -- Los Angeles, San Diego State University, University of California, Irvine, University of San Diego, Pace University, Chapman University, The University of Arizona, University of San Francisco, California Lutheran University, Brown University

Member of CounselMore