Born in Guatemala and raised between Mexico, the United States, and France, Maria Cecilia graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.A. in Global Studies and a minor in International Migration Studies.

During her time at UCLA, Maria Cecilia specialized in tracing international migration flows through colonial histories through an interdisciplinary lens by participating in a study abroad program titled “Global Challenges in Postcolonial France” and writing a departmental honors senior thesis analyzing creative resistance in response to US-Mexico and Israel-Palestine border securitization.

Upon graduation, Maria Cecilia interned with Al Otro Lado, a migration non-profit based in Tijuana, Mexico. At Al Otro Lado, Maria Cecilia worked in community education and translation to help migrant communities understand the requirements for the asylum process and assisted with family reunification intakes for migrant families being released from detention in San Diego, California.

At Georgetown, Maria Cecilia hopes to continue studying the colonial legacies within international migration in order to address its root causes while working on ensuring a dignified migratory experience in the process.

In her free time Maria Cecilia loves exploring local coffee shops, reading, and facetiming her dog Maya back home in California.