Our Stories

Called to Serve

VIDES volunteers form a very talented group of people and no two are alike - each volunteer brings something wonderful and unique to mission with them. VIDES embraces this gift of individuality and strives, not only to find good placements where the volunteer will be able to express those talents, but also tries to foster the character and talents of each person.

We ask our volunteers to "think outside the box", to be creative and innovative in the field as they work to integrate themselves into the community and strive to create change in our world.

Meet our Current Volunteers

Liliana
Liliana is a recent graduate from the University of Dallas with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and a Concentration in Industrial Organizational Psychology. She will be going to Bolivia in August for about a year where she will live with a community of Salesian sisters that has a boarding school for girls.

April
April is from Coppell, Texas. She graduated from Texas Christian University May 2023 with Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a minor in Child Development. She is looking forward to her mission in South Africa and serving the children and community there.

Rebecca
Rebecca is from Laredo, TX. She spent the past two years working as a high school teacher at a public school in Laredo and is now taking a year off to go on mission with VIDES. She will spend three months in Honduras working with teachers and students at a bilingual school the sisters have. Shortly after, she will spend six months in the Philippines working with students in a boarding school and helping them with their studies.

Friary
Friary is from Denver and recently moved to California where she will be teaching nursing at Azusa Pacific University. Before starting her nursing career, Friary spent several years teaching elementary school which will prepare her for her mission in Samoa at a school our Sisters have. Friary enjoys drawing, painting, arts and crafts, singing, dancing, and helping out as a sous chef.

Chelsy
Chelsy is from Las Vegas, NV and works in a medical lab. Chelsy is the coordinator for altar servers at her parish. She will be going to Colombia for two months to work with at risk girls in a boarding school. Chelsy enjoys music, writing, working out and dancing.

Alena
Alena is from the College Station area. She will be going to Karnataka, India on mission in August. She can't wait to help with the boarding students and hopes to help tutor and teach the boys and girls who attend the Salesian Sisters K-10th grade school.

Catey
Catey is from Santa Clara, CA. She graduated from the Catholic University of America (Washington, DC) where she double majored in International Business and Spanish for International Service. In the future, she hopes to enter the field of international development. She will be leaving on mission in El Salvador from September-December 2023 and then continuing her service as an intern at the UN with the Salesian Sisters from January-March 2024.

Rafael
Rafael is from Caracas, Venezuela. He has a bachelor's degree in International Studies and a master's in Development and Public Policy. Rafael will be going on a mission to Nairobi, Kenya. He's looking forward to putting all the knowledge and experiences he has gained over the last few years to accompany the missionaries at the development office on their day-to-day work and diverse range of projects.

Tom
Tom is from Pennsylvania and just finished four years of serving as an Engineer Officer in the Army. He will be volunteering in the Philippines for one year at a boarding school our Sisters have. Tom has experience in farming and construction work which will come in handy. Tom plays the piano, has experience leading Bible studies, knows some martial arts, and enjoys volunteering with youth.

Tiana
Tiana is from Boston and currently lives in North Carolina with her husband who is in the Marines. Tiana has a Masters in Public Health and is currently applying to PhD programs. She will spend 3 months as an intern in the VIDES office at the UN in Geneva. Tiana enjoys reading, traveling, baking, and making her husband laugh!

“Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light of the Gospel.” - Pope Francis