Maria Guajardo

Dr. Maria Guajardo
Children’s Education Advocate
1959 -
INDUCTED 2010

Maria Guajardo, the daughter of illiterate Mexican immigrant parents, has committed herself to improving the lives of children and forged a career in advocacy for children locally, nationally, and internationally.

Maria’s doctoral dissertation in psychology examined why Latinas drop out of school. She traveled the world to discover how children play a role in creating world peace. The daughter of immigrant parents became Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children in 2003. In this position, she advanced the Denver Preschool Bill, which created universal access to quality preschool options for four-year olds. Guajardo now serves as the Dean of the Faculty of International Liberal Arts at Soka University in Japan.

“As a poor Mexican child growing up in the United States, I felt invisible. I was ‘the other.’ Education . . . allowed me to discover my abilities; it nurtured my curiosity and defined my passion for justice.” — Dr. Maria Guajardo