Maria Rosales

Maria Rosales is the daughter of Mexican Immigrants. She was born in the Bay Area, but grew up in the Central Valley. Her passion for empowering others through education has allowed her to work with students, families and communities of diverse backgrounds while uplifting the Central Valley. She has served in the field of education in various capacities for almost twenty years. Maria started her career in education as a Bilingual Instructional Paraprofessional for Modesto City Schools. She then moved on to Central Valley Opportunity Center; a vocational training center as an Employment Specialist, and later went to work for Patterson Unified School District as the Coordinator for the Grayson-Westley Family Resource Center. After serving as a Health Services Manager for Atwater High School she joined UC Merced to oversee the Fiat Lux Scholars Program; an EOP program that provides support services for First Generation College Students. Soon after, she obtained the position of Associate Director for Residence Education where she led the development and implementation of experiential programs and Living Learning Communities. She recently joined Merced County Office of Education as a Program Advisor in Early Education Support Programs where she contributes to support, empower and build the capacity of early childhood educators and parents. Maria serves as a Board Member for Golden Valley Health Centers and is Advisor to Invest in Me; a young womens empowerment program in the community of Patterson. Maria earned a Bachelor Degree in Social Science from Chapman University, and earned her Masters in Education Counseling from California State University, Stanislaus.