MARIA M. SEMPERTEGUI BOOK SCHOLARSHIPS

In the Fall 2022, Hermano Juan M. Sempertegui (Fall 1995, #3) established book scholarships in honor of his late mother Maria M. Sempertegui. Hermano Steven Ventura (Fall 1996, #3) donated an additional book scholarship in honor of Mrs. Sempertegui as well.

Maria M. Sempertegui was born on December 5, 1951, in Cochabamba, Bolivia and was the youngest of nine siblings. She completed Cosmetology school in Bolivia and opened a hair salon before becoming the first person in her entire family to migrate to the Unites States in 1979. Eventually, more than 100 family members followed her to the United States. For more than 24 years, she worked as a Bus Aide with Maryland's Montgomery Public School System. Mrs. Sempertegui was also licensed by the State of Maryland as a Senior Cosmetologist and was the proud owner of Maria's Hair Salon, LLC in Langley Park, MD. She was honored to become a U.S. Citizen in 1995. Mrs. Sempertegui passed away on September 20, 2016. She was married to Jorge for more than 35 years.  Mrs. Sempertegui and her husband had three children (Juan, Steven and Andrea) and she is the grandmother to four granddaughters, three of whom are also named Maria.