Stories

Blanca Avila Santana

Blanca was 12 years old when her condition of Guillain-Barré syndrome almost took her life. She was in a medically induced coma so the doctors could effectively diagnose and treat her. During this time, her family experienced many expensive and unplanned medical bills. In response, the local community rallied to organize a fundraiser. After a successful fundraiser and some help from Doxa, Blanca’s family could completely focus on her full recovery. The Doxa community also offered their continual support through encouraging messages along the way. She is now dancing again with Doxa’s dance group. Her amazing recovery and being a valued part of Doxa’s community ensures she will always have people to support her, regardless of what life throws her way.

Robotics & STEM Kits, Tanish Ambulkar & Era Dewan (San Francisco, CA)

After a few house-building trips, two teens from the Bay Area noticed that STEM subjects were noticeably missing from Tijuana schools. One volunteer, Tanish, decided to donate robotics kits that could be assembled and programmed. He brought laptops, Legos, cables, and the necessary software to teach kids how robotics works. He left several full kits so kids can continue to experiment and learn basic robotics. The kits have varying difficultly levels designed for older and younger kids. Another volunteer, Era, later assembled STEM kits with several basic experiments. Each kit came with Spanish instructions to guide kids through the proper steps. They illustrated basic STEM concepts, such as circuits and chemical reactions. Targeted activities like this help to introduce kids to topics that they wouldn’t normally see. Perhaps a future engineer, mathematician, or computer scientist will result!

Please note: some names in these stories have been changed to preserve their privacy. Thank you for understanding.