Double the Impact – The Veliz Sisters
Being Little Sisters is twice as much fun for Alicia and Raquel. As siblings who are both BBBS Littles, they have twice the Bigs, twice the outings, twice the BBBS scholarship funds, and twice the support for their future plans. Alicia and Raquel are the first in their family to attend college, and after hearing about their goals, it’s clear that these young women are well on their way to achieving success in the world.
Children in a single-parent household, the two were matched with Big Sisters during their middle school years at the urging of their aunt who’d seen the benefits of BBBS’ program. Alicia, the oldest, is matched with Big Sister Kyra, and she is the more reserved of the two. Raquel is matched with Sarah, and she describes herself as talkative and outgoing. Despite, or maybe due to, their differences, both sisters agree that having Bigs in their lives has made a difference.
“(My Big Sister) Sarah encourages me to be myself, and that’s something I really like about her,” said Raquel. “My mom is very supportive, but she had us when she was so young that she didn’t really get to have a childhood herself. She doesn’t know how to let me be creative, whereas Sarah does. It’s nice to have someone say ‘You can do this. Don’t be afraid.’”
Raquel and her Big are often mistaken for being biological sisters. “She’s very much like me,” said Raquel. “She is super adventurous and she loves to try new things. She always wants to make things, or go to a coffee shop and play board games. I love that. And I can talk to her about anything, and she listens and shares her experiences.”
Alicia agrees that having a Big who is encouraging and a confidante has been a plus in her life, particularly since the biological sisters have very different personalities and were not really close growing up. “(My Big Sister) Kyra has taught me a lot about being professional but not forgetting to have fun,” said Alicia. “We like to be silly, but then Kyra will turn around and give me advice on getting a good credit score. Then we’ll go back to being silly again. Part of what I’m learning is how to keep my business life separate from my personal life.”
It’s an important skill to have, as Alicia is pursuing a major in business management. She recently completed her first year at the University of Texas at San Antonio and she is working as an intern at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas this summer.
Raquel, on the other hand, is a recent high school graduate who is planning to attend Franklin University in Switzerland this fall. She will be studying Environmental Science, but she also plans to get certified to teach English as a Second Language internationally. The opportunity to study abroad is something she simply took a chance on.
“I applied to a lot of different colleges, but Franklin University is the only international school among them,” said Raquel. “The University is supposed to send out acceptance letters before the end of May, and I received mine the very last week. I was nervous. A friend kept saying, ‘If you get in, you have to go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’”
“It’s going to be hard being so far away, and it’s going to be hard on my mom, but I’m lucky she’s so supportive,” Raquel admitted. “My Big Sister has also been very supportive. She studied abroad for a year, and she’s been telling me about her experiences, which has helped.”
How will Alicia feel about her sister being so far away? “I’m trying to play it cool. I’m trying to pretend that I’m not going to miss her, but – honestly – I will,” said Alicia. “When Raquel is gone I won’t have anyone pushing me to do fun stuff, even when I don’t want to. When I give in, I always have to admit that I enjoyed it. I just don’t want to tell her!”
The pair have agreed to video chat each week to keep in touch while Raquel is away. Alicia is also saving money to visit Raquel in Switzerland. But each sister plans to give the other space to grow while working toward her own goals.
“Ultimately, I want to own a bakery,” said Alicia, “or possibly go to culinary school after college.” It’s a goal her sister wants her to achieve as well.
“I want Alicia to have a bakery,” said Raquel. “I’ve also thought about how I want my life to be. I want to go to college, get my teaching certificate, teach, retire, then work at Google or somewhere else as a translator, and make a lot of money so that I can get a home for my mom, help my sister get a bakery, and just help my family out because they have supported and helped me.”
She adds, “Of course, sometimes you want one thing, but life throws you another. I like that about life.”
The sisters are both community-minded. They volunteer at events in their neighborhood. Their favorite activity is feeding the homeless at the annual H-E-B Feast of Sharing. They are also supportive of BBBS. Each received a college scholarship from BBBS’ Scholarship Program and each can see themselves becoming a Big Sister one day.
“Working as an intern, it’s been cool to see what actually happens behind the scenes at BBBS,” said Alicia. “I didn’t realize what goes into making a match happen. There’s a lot more to it than I realized. It’s made me appreciate BBBS even more. Part of my internship has involved finding resources for Bigs, and I’ve enjoyed helping them out. I can’t wait until I can become a Big, but I want to be financially stable before I do. I know it’s a long process, but it will be worth it.”
Raquel adds, “I’m always talking to my friends about BBBS, and I’m definitely interested in being a Big.”
Whether they end up overseas or stay in Central Texas, there’s no doubt these sisters will be making a positive mark in the world, representing their family and BBBS, and giving back in a big way.
