Maria is beginning a new chapter at Harvard Divinity School, where she is pursuing a Master of Religion and Public Life. After a long career in higher education philanthropy, she returned to the classroom to explore how generosity, service, education, and community leadership can work together to create meaningful change.

Her studies bring together many of the areas that have shaped her professional life and sense of purpose. Maria is especially interested in storytelling and oral history as ways to preserve lived experiences, amplify women’s voices, and better understand what inspires people to give back to their communities.

Through her work, she hopes to contribute to more thoughtful, compassionate, and relationship-centered approaches to philanthropy. She is particularly interested in how personal values, service, gratitude, and community connections influence generosity beyond financial giving alone.

Returning to school has required significant change. Pursuing her degree meant relocating from Puerto Rico to Cambridge, Massachusetts, away from family, friends, and her familiar support system. She has also navigated the financial realities of graduate school, including relocation costs, academic expenses, and the higher cost of living while searching for scholarships and campus employment.

The Trace of Hope grant will help Maria purchase books, academic materials, and other resources required throughout her studies, easing some of the financial pressure that comes with beginning this new chapter.

Receiving the grant has been especially meaningful for Maria. After spending much of her career helping create educational opportunities for others, becoming a recipient herself has renewed her appreciation for the difference one grant can make.

She hopes to carry that support forward by continuing to serve others, contribute to the field of philanthropy, support her community in Puerto Rico, and help create opportunities for future generations.