“Thank you, Maritza… I’ll be back.”

Wendy was one of the first students to participate at Unidos, before Unidos even had doors to walk through. I’ve watched her grow through middle school, high school, and now into her first days of college. It has been a privilege to witness it all. She has shown, again and again, that the most helpful thing you can do is show up; and she has. I can only hope we’ve shown up for her just as faithfully.

During a recent program, as we celebrated her next step, Wendy said: “I’m leaving for now, but I’m coming back to Unidos no matter what. I want to give back to Unidos as much as I can. Thank you to Maritza for all her support, and John and Heather. I will miss you all; I will miss Unidos.”

As Unidos grows, I know we’ll watch more students step into higher education, but Wendy’s moment feels especially close. She’s the oldest in her family and the first to go to university, and she’s also the first from our core team to leave for school. I remember leaving home as a teenager to pursue my own education. The responsibility felt heavy, but so did the support. I see that same mix in Wendy; courage carried by many helping hands.

I’ll miss seeing her each week, but I’ll be ready to welcome her back on breaks. For now, we cheer her forward.
 

Maritza Rebollar
Youth Director