Ta’Naejha and Marissa

Ta’Naejha, 11, and Marissa first became Sisters in June of 2017. When reflecting on her favorite thing about her Big, Ta’Naejha said “Marissa is herself. She likes you for who you are.” Some of their favorite things to do together are making jokes and laughing. “Naejha inspires me. At 11, she already has such a strong idea of who she is and what she wants. She also cracks me up,” said Marissa.

Growing up, Marissa had a dear friend who was like a big sister to her. “I’ve known her since I was born and still go to her for advice to this day.” Having had this mentor in her life, Marissa felt the need to return the favor. “I found I had a good amount of free time outside of work and friends and wanted to use it doing something meaningful and give back to the community,” said Marissa.

Ta’Naejha and Marissa enjoy spending time together as well as getting to know each other more. “She’s very empathetic and always notices if someone is sad or upset,” said Marissa of her Little Sister. “She tries to fix it, even people she doesn’t know. It reminds me to be more compassionate.” In addition to this, Marissa has also learned what Ta’Naejha truly enjoys the most: hot wings. “Naejha loves hot wings. No matter what we do as an activity, we usually end up getting wings afterwards.”

“My hope for Ta’Naejha is that she knows how strong, intelligent and amazing she is and she uses that knowledge to conquer the world or do whatever she wants to do,” said Marissa. For someone considering becoming a big, Marissa says, “Do it! You will grow as a person and take just as much away from it as your Little.”