Maria Rios-Mathioudakis is a socially engaged artist residing in San Diego, California. Maria makes artwork through the process of teaching photographic arts to youth in various communities across the county including Rainbow, Barrio Logan, and City Heights. Since 2015, her project "a place you think about" has funded and exhibited the work of artists from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Russia, and the United States.

In 2019, the William Male Foundation awarded Maria a grant to purchase equipment for the photography classes she teaches, and to pay for classes to grow her technical skills.