Maritza achieved her associate’s in Chemistry from CT State Gateway in August 2025 and has since transferred to Southern to get her B.S. in Chemistry. She has interned with various organizations, including the CNT’s Werth Industry Academic Fellowship. Maritza never shies away from a challenge and is always looking for new opportunities to innovate.

“Growing up, I never really knew what STEM was, and because of that, I wasn’t particularly interested in it. Like any child, I was naturally curious; I wanted to know how things worked and why, but I never thought of that curiosity as something connected to a field or career. Growing up with immigrant parents who had barely finished high school, I was simply told to do well in school and become a doctor or an engineer. At the time, those ideas didn’t mean much to me.

I completed middle school and high school in Mexico, and it wasn’t until ninth grade, the final year of secondary school, that everything changed. That year, our science class was chemistry. In that class, everything I had ever wondered was answered. I learned how and why certain things are composed the way they are, and that when we combine them, they can create really cool reactions and new products. For the first time in my life, I genuinely enjoyed going to school. I wanted to attend class, to learn more, and to keep asking questions. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to understanding and advancing the study of the composition of matter.

I currently work part time at CVS Pharmacy as a pharmacy technician. I am also in the process of launching my passion project, The CC STEM Hub, a website designed to provide resources and support for community college students pursuing STEM pathways. In addition, I am working on another passion project, Aquayac Energy, which was inspired by the Atoyac River in Puebla, one of the most contaminated rivers in Mexico. This project focuses on developing microbial fuel cells from recycled materials to provide rural and low-income communities in Puebla with access to clean energy and water. Aquayac Energy is supported by The BeVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship through mentorship, specialized modules, and financial support to help launch the project. I am also involved with Research Girl, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students through mentorship and access to research resources. Specifically, I participate in their Independent Research Group program, where I am mentored by Dr. Christian Sandoval Pauker, a J. Evans Attwell-Welch Postdoctoral Fellow at Rice University. Through this program, I am currently working on writing a review paper on microbial fuel cells, which I hope to publish in the near future.

If I could give any advice to my peers, it would be not to be intimidated by fear. You never know what could happen, but absolutely nothing will happen if you don’t take the chance.”