Volunteer Spotlight: Our Summer Interns

Meet the Make-A-Wish North Texas Summer 2023 Interns! We are so excited to have four driven and enthusiastic interns, two of which are returning to the program. We cannot wait to see what they accomplish as they improve their professional skills.

Danielle Ward

Danielle will be a junior next fall at Texas Christian University. She is studying strategic communications and data analytics. Her future career goals include working in advertising and public relations research, and she aspires to write restaurant and food reviews in a magazine! Danielle has been the marketing and communications intern for Make-A-Wish North Texas since January.

At TCU, she is a member of many on-campus groups, including Chi Omega, where she serves as the assistant social chair. Through Chi Omega, she had the opportunity to learn more about Make-A-Wish and decided she wanted to be more involved. In her intern role, Danielle will continue to write wish stories, create social media content, and assist with marketing campaigns.

“Before college, I knew about Make-A-Wish because I have relatives who work for the organization. After joining Chi Omega, I wanted to get more involved outside of my sorority, specifically after one of my own friends in Chi O had her wish granted,” she said.   

Anna Blackwell

Anna is a rising junior at Southern Methodist University and is majoring in general business with a minor in sociology and an emphasis in non-profit studies. Anna is a wish alumna! A few years ago, her wish to play HORSE with Dirk Nowitzki was granted. This wish was special to her because she looks up to Dirk because of his humble nature and impressive accomplishments in the NBA. Anna hopes to lead her own non-profit foundation in the future.

Anna has been serving as the development and events intern since January. She assists with events by creating volunteer surveys, building bio books, and helping input data. This summer, she is excited to learn about donor prospecting and stewardship.

“I learned a lot last semester and enjoyed being a part of the team. Make-A-Wish has given me so much over the years and I wanted to continue giving back to this amazing organization. I hope to keep learning about the behind-the-scenes of Make-A-Wish,” she expressed.

Elise Waterson

Elise is from Dallas entering her sophomore year at Southern Methodist University. She is double majoring in advertising with a specialization in digital media strategy and public relations with a minor in psychology. For her future career, she hopes to go into the advertising industry. When Elise has free time, she likes to play Ping-Pong and Pickle Ball!

Elise got involved with Make-A-Wish because she is a Chi Omega at SMU and wanted to build a deeper connection within her sorority philanthropy. This summer, she is serving as the volunteer services intern. She will be creating wish profiles for wish granters to sign up as well as creating monthly volunteer newsletters.

“I decided to intern this summer because I wanted to learn more about and become more involved in the organization. I'm inspired by Make-A-Wish's mission and wanted to learn more about the inner workings of the non-profit. I hope to strengthen my communication skills and build relationships with the amazing staff members!” Elise said.

Jessica Gala

Jessica is from Mineola, a small town in east Texas, and attends the University of North Texas. She is going into her senior year and hopes to graduate in December. Jessica is studying human development and family science. After graduation, Jessica wants to be a child life specialist in a hospital. A fun fact about Jessica is that she has watched all the Marvel Movies in chronological order and is now working on the television shows!

Jessica is serving as an intern on the program team and helps with welcoming and onboarding. She is one of the first points of contact a wish family has when they get connected with Make-A-Wish. This summer, Jessica wants to improve her professional skills for her future career.

“I've always admired Make-A-Wish and I thought it would be a great experience working with children who have critical illnesses and their families. I also wanted to impact children's lives through the mission of Make-A-Wish. Being part of an organization that impacts and makes a difference in children's lives is an honor and a heartwarming experience,” Jessica said.

We're grateful for our summer interns and excited to have them as part of the Make-A-Wish family!