Telling Stories That Matter
Maria Perez Was Always a Talker. Now She's Telling Stories That Matter.
Maria Perez has been talking her whole life. In elementary school, that meant getting moved to a new seat for chatting with classmates she'd just met. In her career, it means running the social media, website, and public materials for a nonprofit that has served the Coastal Bend for decades.
"I've always been a talker," Maria said. It took the right teachers, at the right moments, to turn that into something more.
Finding a Career in Storytelling
A high school English teacher pushed Maria to develop her writing voice early. A business class teacher pointed her toward something she'd never considered: social media management."I had no idea it was a thing or how people made money from it," Maria said, "but I was going to learn."
She started volunteering with local nonprofits and found work she loved. That path led her to Family Counseling Service, where she is now the Development Associate, managing the organization's social media, website, and public-facing materials. There was no dedicated marketing role there before her. Since she started, the organization's social presence has grown substantially, and by Maria's account, it now ranks among the better-engaged nonprofits in the area for social ad performance.
A Goal Worth Chasing
Maria's path to a degree wasn't a straight line. Three years ago, she returned to Del Mar College on academic suspension, after a senior year of high school marked by struggles with her mental health. She wasn't eligible for financial aid and could only afford to take one class.
"I had to take a hard look at where I was, where I wanted to be, and what it would actually take to get there," Maria said. She set a goal: finish her undergraduate degree and begin a master's program within five years. Every semester since has been a 4.0. She transferred from Del Mar to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi with all A's, and this fall, she begins her master's program a full year ahead of that original timeline.
Family, and What's Next
Maria's grandparents raised her for much of high school and taught her to say yes to opportunities, advice that sent her to DECA's international competition her senior year and later to travel alone to several states. She'll be the first in her family to hold a four-year degree.
She's doing it, she said, for herself and for her two young children. "I want my son to see that a woman can have an education and career alongside her family, not in spite of them," Maria said. "And I want my daughter to know that even with setbacks, there are always people to help you."
Maria is pursuing her master's in communication at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, with a focus she's already living out at work: understanding how people trust and respond to information, and using that to close gaps in access to mental health resources across the Coastal Bend.
Maria's story is a reminder of what the Frazier Family Foundation believes: that intelligent and creative minds should never go untapped because of where someone lives or circumstances beyond their control. Maria built her path back one 4.0 semester at a time,long before the Foundation entered the picture. The scholarship is there to help her keep going.
Learn more about our scholars and the Frazier Family Foundation’s mission to open doors for tomorrow’s leaders at https://www.frazierff.org/news.
