Maria Martinez Cantellano is returning to the College Advising Corps family! After graduating from North Carolina State University in 2017, Maria served as a College Adviser at Heide Trask High School in Pender County, NC. She skillfully utilized data to drive outcomes, increasing the FAFSA submission rate at her school by 21%. For this and many other accomplishments she was recognized with a “Data-Driven Adviser” award.
After her service with the NC State Corps, Maria received her M.Ed. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Texas State University. At Texas State she created assessment measures to evaluate departmental practices and identify areas for improvement. She also coordinated the selection and hiring process for 450 RA candidates. Following the completion of her master’s, Maria worked as a Peer Academic Coaching Program Coordinator. In this role she supervised peer mentors and developed curriculum towards the mission of aiding in the academic, emotional, and social transitions of college students who are the children of migrant or seasonal farmworkers. Most recently Maria was a Student Success Specialist at UNC Asheville, providing holistic support for students with a focus on Latinx and First-Generation communities.