Maria Sanchez was born in Cuernavaca, Mexico and moved to Ohio shortly before her first birthday, in 1986. She grew up in Canton, OH and remembers being one of the only Latino families at that time. Her upbringing is a testament to her desire to help others; at one point in her life she remembers living in the basement of a family with her five siblings and her parents in one room. Later in life, she remembers doing the same thing for other families. Maria is currently a community coordinator for the office of diversity and inclusion at OSU.