MEET MARIA CERVANIA 

EPIDEMIOLOGIST | STRATEGIST | COMMUNITY ADVOCATE

I was born at Naval Hospital Oakland while my father was deployed in Vietnam. After his retirement – serving 24 years in the U.S. Navy – my family settled in Sunnyvale, California. My mother worked 30 years in the technology industry, part of the rapid, ever-changing growth of Silicon Valley. 

As a child, my life was directly affected by this dynamic growth. The land of apple orchards transitioned to the land of Apple Computer. By the time I started at Homestead High School – alma mater to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak – almost all the fruit trees were gone. The transition was significant. The lesson learned: growth is going to happen, so if I’m ever in a position to affect it, I want to be conscientious about how it occurs. 

Growth also happened rapidly in my life. Over the next few years, I was extremely fortunate to graduate from the University of California at Berkeley with an Integrated Biology and Physical Education degree. While attending Cal, I taught Anatomy in the Berkeley Unified School District and Physical Education in the Oakland School District. I also volunteered as a medic at the Berkeley Free Clinic, growing “a community that is empowered to sustain its own health”.

The knowledge and experience gained by helping the people in Berkeley led me to pursue a Master of Public Health in Chicago. Even with the rigors of academics, it was essential to be an advocate in the field by educating seniors and children about health in Southside Chicago, serving as president of the American Public Health Association Student Caucus and an Editorial Board member of the American Journal of Public Health. 

After graduate school, California was not the same. In seeking a place with a hometown feel; the first stop was Austin, Texas. While there, I was blessed to meet my husband of almost 20 years, Jon. After a brief stop in Phoenix, Arizona, the growth of Jon’s tech career brought us to North Carolina. 

Since we moved here, I have devoted my life to the community and public service. In 2020, I was humbled and honored that the voters of Wake County placed their trust and confidence in me as their Wake County Commissioner. Because of this, I am the first AAPI (Asian American/Pacific Islander) elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners and the first Filipino elected to office in North Carolina.

Our campaign is of, by and for all people of North Carolina. It’s about something bigger than us and working for the greater good. I am running for North Carolina House — to make positive change for all North Carolinians.

When voters make their voices heard, our state is strengthened. I ask for your vote on November 8 or during early voting.