Dr. Maria Gillespie is a professor of mathematics at Colorado State University. In her classroom, she sees firsthand the way COVID infections can affect her students' energy levels and brainpower for solving challenging math problems, and strongly believes that we need to be working together to fight for a safer world for everyone.
She is passionate about local outreach and activism, and aims to fight mask bans locally in Colorado. Her dream is to get the notion of "Masked Mondays" to catch on, so that public spaces can be more accessible to vulnerable people (and to anyone wishing to avoid infection) on one day of the week - Mondays!
Dr. Gillespie is also a long-distance runner, and regularly runs crowded races in N95 masks. She believes that it is possible to live life to the fullest while wearing a mask - and not only that, that masking indoors and in crowded situations is currently key to living a healthy and happy life unburdened by COVID infections and other viral illnesses. Since she started masking regularly, she hasn't been sick in years! She hopes to spread the word and match people with masks that are comfortable and effective for them in a variety of different situations.
