Ms. Maripaz was  born and raised in Lima, Peru (South America). She came to the US on a business trip and met her husband here. She decided to move to the USA in 2005. 
She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Hospitality. She studied at the University of Piura (Lima location) and at the Montemar Technological Institute. 

Before working in a school setting, Ms. Maripaz worked in the business area and hospitality but she was always related to the service side.

Childhood education was always her passion. While in elementary, she actually taught her brother how to read before he began preschool. When Ms. Maripaz’s daughter was born, she began reading about early childhood education. She became fascinated with Montessori and how it cultivates a lifelong love for learning so she began educating herself about it.  Then, she realized Montessori was something she wanted to do for a living and felt this was truly her call. She started as an assistant and decided to take the training to become a Montessori Primary teacher.

Ms. Maripaz is a trained Primary Guide. She pursued her training course from The American Montessori Society. Her first training was in Florida and she finished an intensive training there. By that time, the training wasn’t offered in Atlanta. While still in training the head of the school that she worked with offered her a lead position. She felt she wasn’t totally ready but he told her “I believe in you and I think you will do it great, you have the passion for this”. And she truly does have the passion! 

Years passed, and Ms. Maripaz decided to take a second training since the child development area was something that really interested her and she wanted to learn more about how to serve the children the best that she could. So, she decided to audit another Primary training (her second one) from The AMS, this time in Atlanta. Nowadays she is also certified as a Child Development Associate (CDA).

After many years of working as a Montessori teacher, Ms. Maripaz decided to take some time off. During that time, the director of a Montessori school called her to sub because one of the Primary teachers had to leave for 6 weeks. She did it and it was great! That school was Ivy League Montessori, now known as Milton Montessori School at the Cumming location. She finished her 6 weeks as a sub and they invited her to stay a little longer, so she did. Months passed by and Ms, Nora contacted her and asked her if she wanted to be part of her team at the Milton location, and here she is! This happened in 2019, time flies! 

About working with children, Ms. Maripaz loves everything! They light up her days. Children’s affection is genuine, they love you or they don’t. It is a big responsibility and she embraces it with passion and commitment. Watching them learn and progress is just amazing and so rewarding. For her, “this is a job that HAS TO COME FROM THE HEART, there is no other way”.

Ms. Maripaz is a Montessori believer. Her perception is that “The magic of Montessori is real. Montessori transforms a child in so many positive ways—more than just academics, the person as a human being, as a whole.” For her, “Montessori is not just a pedagogical philosophy but a way of life. To care, to help, to be the best person you can be is a lifetime learning lesson.”

Ms. Maripaz lives in Cumming, GA, with her husband and her daughter and son that were educated in a Montessori school. She wanted the best for her own children and both her kids attended happily and proudly an amazing Montessori school. 

In her free time, Ms. Maripaz likes to exercise, spend time with her family and her dog (a loveable and crazy beagle named Rocky), watch movies, and help her husband to cook. According to Ms. Maripaz, he has amazing cooking skills! She also loves to travel and experience how different cultures live. She loves diversity. 

Ms. Maripaz’s belief is that “Montessori is Amazing. You just need to trust. It is an investment for life. I am a witness of both ways: As a mom (both my children are Montessori students) and as a teacher (many students that I have seen growing, developing, and becoming the best version of themselves and great citizens of our society). Observe a classroom, you won’t be disappointed, instead you will be pleasantly surprised.”