Personal Information Summary | |
---|---|
Name | Maria Teresa Kumar |
Age / How old / Birthday / Date of Birth / DOB | Born in 1974. As of 2024, she is around 50 years old. |
Wedding & Marriage / Husband / Engaged / Spouse / Partner | Married. Check the full bio for relationship details. |
Children / No. of Kids | 2 |
Ethnicity / Origin / Heritage / Race | Hispanic (Latina) |
Nationality | American |
Where does Maria Teresa Kumar live? | Currently, Kumar lives in Washington, D.C., where she lives with her husband Raj Kumar and their children Lucia Mercedes and Eduardo. |
Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
Maria Teresa Kumar is a Latina-American woman known for her work as a political activist and commentator for Latino rights.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Maria Teresa Kumar (maiden name Maria Petersen) was born in 1974 in Bogotá, Colombia.
- She is the only child born to American-born Edward Petersen (father, deceased) and Colombian-born Mercedes Vegvary (neé Castro, mother).
- Maria’s grandmother was married at the age of 13! At 26, her grandma found herself a single mom of eight children with just an eighth-grade education. At this moment, her grandma’s husband left her citing it was too much responsibility.
- After the couple separated in 1986 and both remarried, Maria gained two step-siblings – Jonanette and Roderick Panaguiton.
- In 2009, Maria married Raj Kumar in Cartagena, Colombia. The couple now reside in Washington, DC, with their two children, Lucia and Eduardo (10 and 11 years old, ages as of 2024).
Early Life :
- Although Maria moved to America at 4 years old, it took five years for her and her mother to become naturalized US citizens.
- At one point, her father became ill, and her mother — classified as Latino despite her citizenship — was unable to access services and resources where they were living in Sonoma, California.
- It was through this experience that Maria came to realize the need for Latino rights in America, and thus became interested in politics. Despite the odds, her grandmom raised her children successfully and with persistence.
Education : Qualifications, High School & College Info
- In 1996, Maria graduated from The University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor’s degree in international affairs and economics.
- After taking four years off to work, she returned to school to earn her Master of Public Policy in business and technology, graduating in 2001 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Career, Job, Salary and Net Worth :
- Between her degrees, Maria worked as a senior legislative aide for the US House of Representatives under the former Democratic Congressional Caucus Chair, Vic Fazio.
- Using her degree in technology, Maria then worked as an Associate Director for The Advisory Board Company.
- From February 2003 to November 2004, Maria worked as the regional director for LawMedia — an organization known for lobbying and representing Fortune 500 companies.
- In November 2004, Maria joined actress Rosario Dawson to work as the CEO and president of Voto Latino — a non-profit, non-partisan organization that was initially created to increase Latino voters participation. Since then, it has grown to include leadership development and issue advocacy. To date, the organization has registered over 500,000 new Latino voters and — thanks to Maria’s background in technology — has created a mobile app to help Latinos register in the US Census.
- After appearing on the network several times, Maria joined MSNBC as a political commentator in 2009.
- In 2015, she hosted and starred in the series Changing America which tackled issues around immigration, diversity and discrimination.
Fun Facts and Trivia :
- In addition to Rosario Dawson, Voto Latino is supported by popular celebrities like Jessica Alba, Wilmer Valderrama, Pitbull, and America Ferrara.
- When asked what her best and worst habit is, Maria answered that she “can eat everything. I guess that would be my best and worst habit.”
- When asked what advice she would give her younger self, Maria answered: “To be patient and maximize every opportunity to learn.”
- In 2010, Maria was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on the two-hour MSNBC special, “Beyond Borderlines.” It was the first televised English-speaking town hall that focused on Latino issues and politics in America.
- After a class trip to Washington D.C. when she was just 12 years old, Maria knew that she wanted to move to the capital city.
- Maria has been named one of the “20 Most Influential Latinos Under 40″; one of the “10 Most Influential Women in DC”; and one of the “100 Most Creative Business Minds in the World” — to name a few accolades.
- Maria Teresa Kumar Black Mark on Forehead : Many users have asked regarding this, but only the following information could be found here.
Body Figure / Physical Info
Maria Teresa Kumar Measurements :
- Eye Color : Brown
- Haircut / Hair Color : Brown
- How tall / Height : 5′2″
- Feet / Legs / Boots / Shoe Size : No confirmed information is available.
- Pregnant? : Currently, she is not expecting a baby.
- Weight Loss : A few Google queries regarding this, but we couldn’t find anything conclusive on any of her social media.
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MTK fantastic journalist ..Hope to see more of her
Her lips put me right over the edge, man!
While I like and admire MTK, I think the young woman on AM JOY right now is excellent. Her voice is a little high pitched but what she says is what is most important. She adds her great sense of humor and interest in sports in addition to her keen knowledge of politics.
Fines de seminal con MTK.
I love seeing MTK on AM JOY.
Excellent choice for “AM JOY” replacement, don’t you think?