Maria was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. At the age of fourteen she moved to San Antonio, Texas with her family to pursue an education in the United States. Motivated to act after the family separation crisis during the summer of 2018, Maria started volunteering at the bus station in downtown San Antonio, where she provides brief legal aid to incoming refugee families from Africa and Latin America.
While interacting with the families at the bus station, she discovered a passion for activism and social justice which has led her to utilize creative outlets such as writing and public speaking to speak about the current migration crisis among other social justice issues. Maria is the author of A Summer with the Butterflies, a book highlighting the voices and dreams of refugee and migrant children.