Melissa's Story: Connecting with Wish Families Through Shared Language and Culture

As a mom and proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, building connections with Spanish-speaking families is foundational to Melissa's career and personal passions. "I am a school leader, and I founded a school for bilingual immigrant students who traditionally are underserved due to a language barrier," Melissa said. When a friend expressed to her that ​Make-A-Wish was in dire need of Spanish-speaking volunteers, Melissa felt an immediate desire to step in and help in any way she could.​

"Make-A-Wish speaks to me and aligns to the work that I do," she said. "When I [learned] that children were not having their wishes granted because of a language barrier, I felt that I needed to step forward and help address and close that gap. Language should not be the barrier for why children's wishes aren't granted."​

Melissa is overwhelmed with joy each time she sees a wish kid light up as their wish is coming true – but what she finds most rewarding about being a Spanish-speaking volunteer is the cultural and emotional connection she feels with wish families. "They've experienced hardships. They've experienced a lot of difficult situations. And oftentimes when there is a language barrier, they do it in isolation," Melissa said. Talking with her in Spanish "allows the families to be able to have an outlet and just express themselves in a very organic, natural way. It serves as validation for the parents, to be able to share their experiences with somebody who can relate to the culture. You can't necessarily do that if there's no connection to the language."​

Melissa believes wishes are necessary to give hope to all children with critical illnesses, and she invites other Spanish speakers to get involved with the Make-A-Wish mission. “[Wish kids] should be able to shine and thrive and live life like all other children do,” Melissa said.