After saying goodbye to our 9-month interns, Amanda and Faith, we welcomed two new faces to the Blood:Water office for the summer. We can’t wait for you to get to know our development intern, Chase Maqueda, and marketing intern, Caroline Clark, over the next three months! For now, we asked them a few questions about what makes them special to help us introduce them to you, and they obliged.

What is your name & where are you from?

Chase Maqueda, and I am from Waco, Texas.
 

Why did you apply to be an intern at Blood:Water?

I applied to be an intern at Blood:Water because I believe in the vision of the organization. Blood:Water’s passion for providing HIV/AIDS relief while simultaneously creating access to clean water in African countries is inspiring to me. It is encouraging to see how the organization develops relationships with people of different cultures and backgrounds and partners with them in order to address these crises in respectful, relational ways.  
 

What is your dream job?

I have two dream jobs: I dream of someday working with a nonprofit organization like Blood:Water that addresses the pain, sorrow, and suffering of the world, and, because of my passion for Biblical languages (I am currently studying religion with a focus in Biblical languages at Baylor), I dream of someday translating the Bible into a language that the text has never been translated into before. 
 

What is your favorite book?

My favorite book is “Silence” by Shusaku Endo. The novel tells the story of a Jesuit missionary named Father Rodrigues who travels to 17th century Japan in order to encourage, serve, and minister to the Japanese Christian population. These Japanese Christians face severe persecution and often lay down their lives for their faith. The novel shows that even in feelings of loneliness and suffering, God is not silent. 
 

What is your favorite pastime?

As a kid, and even today, I love to play all Pokemon games on Game Boy Advance. Gotta catch ’em all.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

Sweet potato fries, 100%.
 

Tell us one of your special quirks!

When I eat, 9/10 I mix the food all together and make a casserole. Don’t diss it until you try it!

What is your name & where are you from?
My name is Caroline Clark, and I am from all over. I grew up with my father in the Navy, so calling one place “home” has more to do with the people around me and not a specific location. However, I recently lived in East Asia during my time with YWAM, and I mainly reside in Nashville, Tenn., while studying at Lipscomb University.

Why did you apply to be an intern at Blood:Water?
I chose to apply to Blood:Water because I wanted to be part of a greater movement. What drew my attention was the mission of empowering people living in Africa by partnering with organizations on the ground doing great work!

What is your dream job?
One of my greatest passions is bringing equality to gender-restricting countries in the eastern hemisphere. My dream is to mold my passion for equality and fashion together to create a company where women in the western world empower those who would otherwise not have the chance to have a voice. I hope to do this through fair-trade textiles. 

What is your favorite book?
In case you haven’t noticed, I am all about powerful women! So, I love the “Mark of the Lion” series by Francine Rivers, and “I am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb.

What is your favorite pastime?
People who know me know that I am an 80-year-old in a 22-year-old’s body. I spend most of my free time either enjoying the outdoors while hiking, or searching for hidden treasures at estate sales or vintage shops. I love finding old treasures that are from a different time that hold their own stories (again, I know I’m a grandma).

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
Having to choose just one meal for the rest of my life seems unmanageable, mostly because I love food. I think if I HAD to choose one, it would be Indian chicken curry, watermelon, or anything that combines chocolate and coconut… with the exception of chocolate and coconut Indian chicken curry. That sounds disgusting.

Tell us one of your special quirks!
I have a lot of odd quirks, but my personal favorite is my obsession with “leaving my mark” wherever I go. For example, if I am in a new place, I will be sure to leave something behind. Whether it be a small dot on a restaurant table, or a bow in a tree after I lounged in the shade, I just want to leave my own little mark. If you’re curious where you can see my marks, I have them in Chile, Thailand, Myanmar, Colorado, and various coffee shops all around the United States. Because the mundane eye would not easily find my marks, it is like my own kind of rebellious secret.