Maria Aladren MFA

Written by medschoolcoach | Sep 8, 2025 11:42:58 AM

Maria Aladren is a writer and educator originally from Spain. Between undergrad and graduate school, she studied Greek, Near Eastern Studies, writing, and theatre. She loves the arts and the use of language. After attending a top elite school for her masters, she realized how much of the opportunities available did not allow for alternatives and vast swaths of people remained voiceless. At that point, she began to dedicate more time to opening channels, options, and pedagogues to diminish the power structures that gummed up the pipes. She devised a theatre experience that explores the educational process of the USA. Through that experience, she learned a lot about learning, collaboration, and ground-level problems from her students. For the next seven years, 100 percent of her students were admitted to fantastic colleges on the pedagogy developed on that experience. Today, she enjoys using her storytelling and editing capabilities as well as her ability to listen to people on their terms.

Maria has spent most of her career researching the relationships between the creative process and education, especially as they intersect in different career fields. She has worked with countless students in her career, honing their creativity and writing skills while using her abilities as a playwright and stage director to help them get into programs of their choice.

During her time in New Jersey, Maria has researched various pedagogical approaches to increase innovation in young minds in collaboration with McCarter Theatre and NJIT. She has also presented workshops in devised and collaborative creation and applied art at several conferences, including the Applied Improvisation Network in Paris, France, and NeMLA in Washington DC and Baltimore. Her latest publication, "A Case Study to Teach Digital Collaboration and Disrupt Power Structures in Education," explores collaborative writing in online spaces.

Fun Fact
Maria sports a tattoo of a prehistoric Iberian writing which was found near her hometown. No one knows what it means.

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