Conferences & Events

Keefe Tech Open House. Student Ambassador

Maria participated as a Student Ambassador during two Open House events at Keefe Regional Technical School, welcoming prospective middle school students and introducing them to the Programming & Web Development program.

She shared her experiences as a technical education student, demonstrated aspects of the program, explained what students learn in programming and web development, and encouraged younger students to explore opportunities in technology.

Through these events, Maria strengthened her public speaking, student leadership, and community outreach skills while helping prospective students and their families learn more about technical education.

See Yourself in the Green Workforce — Mass STEM Week

Participated in "See Yourself in the Green Workforce," a career exploration and professional networking event organized during Massachusetts STEM Week. The event brought together approximately 100 high school and college students and representatives from 18 employers working in clean energy, sustainability, and climate-related industries.

The experience provided opportunities to connect directly with industry professionals, explore emerging green workforce careers, and learn about clean energy technologies, workforce development, and sustainability initiatives.

Fidelity Boundless Summit 2026

Maria attended the Fidelity Boundless Summit, an educational event focused on financial knowledge, investing, and professional development. The experience provided an opportunity to explore investment concepts, learn from financial education sessions, and gain exposure to the financial services industry.

FIA Commodities Conference 2026

Maria attended the FIA Commodities Conference, an industry event organized by the Futures Industry Association (FIA), bringing together professionals from commodity markets, exchanges, clearing organizations, and financial institutions. The conference provided exposure to discussions about commodity derivatives, market structure, clearing, and risk management, offering valuable insight into the practical challenges facing global financial markets.

Visit the official conference website →

Perspectives of Earth — Final Stakeholder Presentation

As part of the 2026 Perspectives of Earth — Team Mentorship & Internship (PETM), organized by MetroWest STEM Education and the Christa McAuliffe Center, Maria participated in a five-week collaborative project focused on sustainable energy and community-centered design.

The student team developed and presented a conceptual design for a 100% clean-energy library at Framingham State University.

The proposed library was envisioned as a welcoming space for students, faculty, and the wider Framingham community, supporting collaborative learning, community engagement, and sustainability.

The project also explored opportunities to integrate geothermal infrastructure and solar energy capabilities, demonstrating how clean-energy technologies could support both the university campus and surrounding community.

The internship concluded with a Final Stakeholder Presentation, during which the team shared its proposed design and project findings.

Learn More — Perspectives of Earth PETM →

Eversource Geothermal Energy Network — Technical Site Visit

As part of the 2026 Perspectives of Earth — Team Mentorship & Internship (PETM), Maria participated in an educational site visit to Eversource Energy's pioneering networked geothermal pilot project in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The visit featured technical presentations by Shawn Luz, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Framingham, and Isabel Varela Gutierrez, Science Director at HEET, who introduced students to the engineering design, infrastructure, and operating principles of the geothermal network.

Students toured the geothermal pump house and borehole locations, gaining firsthand insight into how underground thermal energy systems can provide heating and cooling to buildings.

The experience offered an opportunity to explore one of the nation's first utility-owned networked geothermal systems and understand the collaboration between energy utilities, local government, researchers, and sustainability organizations in advancing clean-energy solutions.

Learn More — Eversource Geothermal Pilot →