Bessie Barth is the co-founder and President of BRIGHT Children International.  She is excited to be traveling to Guatemala on her ninth trip with BRIGHT. She looks forward to leading a great team and serve as a music therapist and work with Village of Hope for the week.  Bessie is the Director of Music To Grow On, Music Therapy Services, INC. where she leads a team of 12 music therapists.

Noelia Aguirre likes to bridge communication between those that don’t have the understanding of another language, that’s why Noelia has honored her skills by working as an Interpreter for more than ten years with different organizations here in Nicaragua.

Currently, she is working as a Medical Interpreter for Interpretia, just her being that voice between Physician and patient.

Fun facts about Noelia, she is a Certified CPA, graduated from the University of U de M, she loves dogs and Hamburgers.

Andrea is a licensed and registered occupational therapist who completed her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy at San Jose State University in 1993. She worked with older adults in a variety of rehabilitation settings in Northern California until 2000, when she began working exclusively with children at the Children’s Therapy Center in Woodland, CA. Andrea enjoys using play to assist children and their families to learn, engage with others, and enjoy life at home and in the community.

Andrea has not traveled with BRIGHT before and is looking forward to this adventure.

Marianne Hayes is currently a third grade teacher in the Los Angeles area! She works at an International Baccalaureate school where the focus is on student agency and international mindedness. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University with her bachelor’s degree in psychology and teaching credential with a concentration in special education. Post-grad she received a Fulbright fellowship to Taiwan teaching English and engaging in meaningful cultural exchange. Marianne has a passion for inclusive classroom practices and helping students cultivate a love for learning. Outside of the classroom, Marianne enjoys running, yoga, and spending time with her friends and family. She is looking forward to participating in her first trip with Bright Children’s International and is grateful for this opportunity to serve. 

Tina is excited to have this opportunity to participate in an international mission trip.  Tina is a School Social Worker in Sacramento, CA.  She has worked in elementary schools for twenty years, providing counseling to students and connecting students & families to community resources.  Using a trauma-informed lens, Tina provides consultation with school staff to help support the behavioral and social-emotional needs of students, as those challenges impede academic success.  Tina has worked extensively with children with mental health diagnoses in both group home settings and community-based programs to assist them in building self-management and coping skills to manage their emotions. is excited to have this opportunity to participate in an international mission trip.  Tina is a School Social Worker in Sacramento, CA.  She has worked in elementary schools for twenty years, providing counseling to students and connecting students & families to community resources.  Using a trauma-informed lens, Tina provides consultation with school staff to help support the behavioral and social-emotional needs of students, as those challenges impede academic success.  Tina has worked extensively with children with mental health diagnoses in both group home settings and community-based programs to assist them in building self-management and coping skills to manage their emotions.

Chase Maciel is a junior at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, CA, and is thrilled to embark on his second trip with Bright. A dedicated student, Chase is an accomplished saxophone player in the Jesuit Jazz Band and a competitive runner on the track team. Outside of school, he enjoys coding, playing cornhole, and spending time with friends. He is excited for another international adventure with the team!

Suzie Maciel has been a Physical Therapist in the Sacramento, CA area for over 25 years. She currently works for Sutter Health as both a regional Clinical Educator and a therapist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Her extensive experience includes adult neuro rehabilitation, outpatient and inpatient pediatric therapy, and many years dedicated to NICU care. Suzie earned her degree from Des Moines University in 1999. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, teaching yoga, and playing tennis. This is her second Bright trip with her son, Chase.

Melissa joins the team with 17 years’ experience in the field of speech pathology. She has worked in a variety of settings including inpatient and outpatient hospital setting, school district setting and private practice. In the medical setting she worked with the pediatric feeding team and developmental disabilities clinic. She has always worked with a pediatric population and her time in the medical setting fostered her love for working with infants and children with feeding difficulties. 

She currently co-owns and operates a pediatric private practice, American River Speech Therapy Inc, located in Gold River California. She primarily works with children with complex communication disorders who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and children with complex feeding disorders. She loves working with children and their families to improve communication. 

She has traveled with Bright to Ecuador in 2022 and is excited to travel with Bright again this year to Guatemala.