Maria has taught in every grade level since starting at Aspen Country Day School in 1990. Revered by students past and present, Maria stays in touch with many alumni from her many decades in the classroom. She holds a BA in Spanish and political science from Boston State College and a master’s degree in Spanish from Middlebury College. An avid sports fan, she grew up in Mansfield, Massachusetts, which she will quickly tell you is only five miles from where the Patriots play.
Something you haven’t done yet?
I haven’t visited all the Spanish-speaking countries in the world, so I would still like to visit Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama. Then in South America I haven’t been to Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay. Interviewer: Well, that’s not that many! Maria: Yes, I can knock them off!
Dream dinner party?
Julia Child, just because I find her interesting and very entertaining. The late Italian director Federico Fellini, because we’re Italians and we’re kindred spirits, and he was also just such a genius. And the third one… possibly Mother Teresa. Interviewer: Where would you go to eat dinner? Maria: I would cook for them! Interviewer: What would you cook? Maria: It would have to be simple but elegant. I don’t know if Mother Teresa would eat that much, but Julia Child, she’s the queen of cooking, so I wouldn’t want to do anything that was too contrived. If we stick to something basic and do it well, I think that’s a good rule of thumb for so many things.
Something we might not know about you?
I wanted to go to art school and study fashion design. But I also loved Spanish. I’m a Gemini, so there are two sides all the time. The art side and then the language side. So Spanish won out. And it was probably one of the better decisions I made.
Scariest or most courageous thing you’ve done?
Scary could be traveling alone. You’re constantly putting yourself through tests. And it makes you stronger. You learn from those mistakes that you do make, but it is challenging.
Thanks to student interviewers Clea W. and Cassia B.