Maria Jose Arrea

Ballerina since she was a toddler, Maria Jose has always held a strong passion for classical ballet. Maria Jose started dancing ballet at the age of 3, but at the age of 12 had to undergo a spinal fusion surgery where two metal bars were placed in her spine, limiting most spine movement. She argues that returning to ballet without the ability to move most of her spine, taught her about the importance of determination, discipline, and perseverance; principles that have shaped her life ever since. After seeing the adverse reality of Tirases, one of the marginalized communities in her home country Costa Rica, Maria Jose, a 14-year-old at the time, started a not-for-profit program called Soñamos Juntos, which aimed to use ballet as a means of communication to foster the same principles Maria Jose held so dearly: determination, passion, and perseverance. Maria Jose founded Soñamos Juntos in 2013 and, under her leadership, Soñamos Juntos built its own studio, and negotiated 2 strategic partnerships with La Casa de Los Ninos and Escuela de Ballet Clasico Ruso, which culminated in the sponsorship of ballet classes for over 50 children in Tirases. The true impact of her initiative, nevertheless, goes far beyond this. By providing an outlet for children and families to set and achieve goals that might seem out of their reach, Maria Jose has set the stage for all the 500+ children in the foundation to realize dreams are attainable if they work under these principles. Maria Jose was awarded the AAASCA Global Scholar and was nominated for the international children peace prize in 2016 for her work with Soñamos Juntos. In 2017, she moved to the United States to complete a dual degree program between Emory and Georgia Tech in Industrial Engineering and Finance, and post-graduation Maria Jose joined Evercore as an investment banking analyst. Maria Jose is excited about joining Notes in Motion to continue using dance as a means of communication to foster the principles that impacted her life so deeply.