May 5, 2025

Maria started her journey at CREO in her sophomore year of high school. Maria remembers a CREO student presenting in her Spanish class, and was motivated to join to receive assistance with her classes and learn about the college process. While Maria could not join our Summer Jumpstart, she stated, “I have a great mentor, Anne; she's an English teacher, and she has been my guide, asking me questions about college that I never asked myself.”

Anne has been a great resource to her in learning about colleges she can attend and the resources available to college students to succeed. Furthermore, Maria expressed how she was taught to “trust my gut, my instinct, especially at college campuses, and it stuck out to me because the college search is so big; having a coach guide makes it so much easier and less intimidating.” Given Maria's hard work and incredible grades, she will also attend the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and study industrial engineering.

Maria was inspired to pursue Industrial Engineering because “My Dad studied industrial engineering in Colombia, and I want to follow in his footsteps. When he talks about it, he's so passionate! It's also a great career to have lots of opportunities. I'm taking an introduction to engineering class, and our activities are fun and hands-on. It motivates me to continue into college.”

Mentors like Anne empower young women like Maria to pursue highly demanded degrees. Your support makes that possible.