Maritza is a proud transfer student from Santa Monica College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History with a minor in African American Studies at UCLA. During her time at UCLA, Maritza advocated for and participated in two newly launched programs in the Fall of 2019: Bruin Underground Scholars and the Bruin McKinney-Vento Initiative. As an intern at the Bruin Resource Center (BRC), Maritza supported programs addressing barriers for students who experienced homelessness, incarceration, and food insecurity in higher education. Currently, Maritza serves as the Director of Bruin Underground Scholars, where she is honored to support formerly incarcerated and system-impacted (FI/SI) students. Maritza’s passion for this work stems from having loved ones, friends, and family members with a history of experiencing incarceration, which motivated her to assist community members.
