Maria graduated from la Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia in 2021 with a Master’s degree in Economics of Public Policies and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations in 2021. She was a Gender Advisor for the Territorial Renewal Agency, a government institution in charge of coordinating the intervention of national and territorial entities in rural areas affected by the Colombian conflict. In this role, Maria created a methodology to provide technical assistance in a gendered approach, especially in education and childhood and food security. This opportunity allowed her to travel the country to towns affected by the conflict to give the local government, the private sector, and schools tools to prevent violence against women and promote STEM careers in young women. Maria’s international experiences include a year studying Hebrew and Judaism in Israel and in Brazil learning advanced Portuguese at the University of Brasilia. Currently, she is based in Tanzania working in early childhood education with Oxford Policy Management.