Having grown up on a farm in Brazil, Mauiza Alves started her career in a small village as an administrative school secretary and participated in community fundraising for numerous causes to benefit the children in the schools.  She immigrated to Gloucester in 1996 to join her family and started working locally as a dishwasher, housecleaner, and function waitress.

As a single mother, she started her own cleaning business so she could be home for her two children, who both went through the Gloucester Public Schools. Her youngest was in the first class of the Gloucester Biotech Academy.  She currently works as housekeeper/organizer, as well as transforming furniture into works of art.  She continues to be active in community affairs, immigrants’ rights both local and state-wide, and she also serves on the City of Gloucester Human Rights Commission. She joined the GEF board because their mission motivates her, and she believes educators need support from organizations like GEF, beyond what the school system alone can offer, to do their best work for students.