Maria was raised in Ohio. She attended the Interlochen Arts Academy (Michigan) where she studied violin, dance and voice. She returned to Ohio to earn her BA from Kenyon College, where she played soccer, ran cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track. She then earned her MA in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Cincinnati (Ohio). An opportunity to work at the University of Hartford brought Maria to Connecticut. She served as the public relations manager at the University of Hartford's Hartt School (of Music). She left The Hartt School to raise her children, while also earning her MEd from the University of Hartford. Maria taught in the Granby Public Schools (Connecticut) for 20 years. She left public school teaching to work at The Oliverian School in New Hampshire, where she was a dorm parent, pillar teacher and learning specialist. She is currently a learning specialist in the Moorhead Academic Center.