Maria Tudela is an Assistant Professor and Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian in Milner Library at Illinois State University. She liaises with Latin American and Latino/a/x Studies; Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; Communications; and Family & Consumer Sciences. She learned about The Immigration Project upon meeting Dr. Maura Toro-Morn during her first few weeks at ISU and immediately wanted to know more. Throughout her first year in Bloomington, she followed the volunteer dates in order to assist with workshops and is now honored to form part of the Board of Directors and work with amazing people who are enacting change. 

Prior to becoming an academic librarian, she worked as a paralegal at an immigration law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her experience with immigration services started back in 2010 translating birth, marriage, and death certificates for her father, who was a Board of Immigration Appeals Accredited Representative. She then learned how to prepare DACA applications and 601A Waivers for Unlawful Presence. Once she started at the law firm, her focus was I-601A waivers, T Visas, U visas and VAWA, but she worked on all kinds of cases like N-400, I-765, TPS, I-130, I-485, I-131, I-90, DACA Renewals, I-129F, and J1 Waivers. She assisted our attorney at immigration court in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a bilingual paralegal, she worked mainly with Spanish-speaking clients and was also the interpreter on record for clients at USCIS interviews. 

Her parents and husband are immigrants. Her commitment to immigrant communities and immigration issues is profound. Maria’s whole life has been directly intertwined with the immigrant experience.