Maciel was born in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated from San Miguel High School on the south side of Tucson. She holds an Associates of Liberal Arts from Pima Community College. Maciel is an undergraduate student at Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, working towards a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with an emphasis in One Health from the University of Arizona.
Maciel also serves in the Arizona Air National Guard at Morris Air National Guard Base where she has deployed three times, twice to the middle east and once to the DarĂen Region, Panama. She was deployed to Panama on a humanitarian mission that developed the construction of an office building, two water wells, and bathrooms for three schools. She also built a maternity and recreation center for the youth in the area who would be able to enjoy it.
While serving the state of Arizona, Maciel began her work in the prevention field by working in the substance misuse prevention mission set called “Drug Demand Reduction and Outreach.” She has been working in the field of prevention for 4 years and is an instructor for the courses offered to train military members in becoming Drug Demand Reduction and Outreach members, as well as an instructor for the SPF Prevention Skills Training (SAPST).
Maciel first joined Amistades in the summer of 2023, but has worked in support through the Drug Demand Reduction and Outreach program since the spring of 2021. She chose to complete her internship with Amistades because it is one of the only Latino-led non-profit organizations that focuses on substance misuse education with implementing the sociocultural theory and a focus on the Latino population. She also wanted to intern with Amistades to learn more about the ins and outs of non-profit organization. Maciel successfully completed an internship and was offered to continue her internship for the Fall of 2023, specifically helping the agency on two new projects.
In her free time when she isn’t in the office, Maciel enjoys traveling to different cities whether in Arizona or outside the state. She loves to work out and playing basketball as her form of stress relief from her busy life. Finally, Maciel enjoys hanging out with her family, which includes her two furry sons Zero and Gizmo.