Tuesday night, Taper Hall. USC’s Make-A-Wish Club hosted its first meeting of the semester amidst a deck of Uno cards, bags of Cheetos, Hawaiian shirts and one very special guest.
Tess, a 13-year-old from Whittier, California, was diagnosed with a critical illness. A few days ago, her mother, Lisa Partida, was contacted by the L.A. chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation with the news that a group at USC had a surprise for her daughter.
The surprise in question was her wish come true: a family trip to Hawaii. But for Tess and her family, it didn’t click until they walked into the room full of Hawaiian decor. With Tess’ favorite games and snacks ready for her, her favorite colors strewn around the room, and her favorite artist, Billie Eilish, playing, the whole evening was dedicated to her.
This wish is special because it is the first one the club has granted since the pandemic, and the first celebrated in-person in three years.
Club president Sean Potvin, a former Make-a-Wish recipient, was especially motivated to fulfill Tess’ dreams.
“It just has an extra soft spot in my heart, because I went through that myself and now I’m able to give back. But it’s not exactly about me,” Potvin said. “It’s more about everyone who’s worked hard to be able to put this together.”
In L.A. County, the average cost of a wish is $10,000. With the goal set of reaching that total, the USC Make-A-Wish Club hosted a number of events throughout the past few semesters: Chipotle partnerships, Krispy Kreme sales, a dodgeball tournament and pies to the face funded Tess’ Hawaii trip.
“It was almost like a full circle moment,” Potvin said. “It’s probably one of the more special moments I’ll have within the club.”
Partida was also filled with gratitude for the role the club had in giving Tess her special moment.
“I can’t really explain the magnitude of how much it means to our family, but we are still, like, really on a high from the whole experience,” Partida said. “I just really, wholeheartedly, want to thank them for their efforts and hope that they continue to do it and that they can make as many kids like Tess happy the way that they made us happy that night.”
More than just providing her family with the opportunity to go to Hawaii for the first time though, Partida was thankful for the hope the club was able to provide.
“Hearing that, you know, these are students who have been through the same journey, giving back, as a parent, I was like, ‘Oh, like this is hopeful,’” she said. “We don’t hear those good stories.”
Make-A-Wish’s mission is to give families like Tess’ the spark of light that Partida gained that night. Kate Tidwell, Make-A-Wish special events manager, says clubs like USC’s are particularly important since “it gets the word out to a group of people that normally doesn’t hear about many different non-profits.”
“It’s also very important to know that many students, whether it’s USC or any other college or university, there’s most likely a wish kid that’s with you in your classes,” she said.
College may still be far in the future for Tess, but soon Hawaii won’t be. Donning handmade bracelets from a kit the club gave her, Tess is “all hyped up” for the trip with her family and, according to her mom, she’s looking forward to swimming with dolphins and relaxing in the tropics.
Tuesday gave Tess two new aspirations: making the most of her time in Hawaii, and becoming a future Trojan. For the teen, one dream is already here, and the other is awaiting.