When Mariel first reached out to Habitat for Humanity, she was hoping to volunteer on a construction site. She was eager to get hands-on experience while pursuing her master’s degree in architecture. What she didn’t mention at first was that her connection to Habitat ran much deeper. Nearly a decade ago, her family became a Habitat partner family and moved into their very own home on August 26, 2015.
At the time, Mariel was 17 and a high school student navigating life as the oldest child in a family of five. Her parents, Jose and Beatriz (Betty), had moved their family to Boise from Central Mexico in pursuit of a better life. For years, they lived together in a cramped two-bedroom apartment, working hard and dreaming of something more stable for their three daughters. A friend from church introduced Betty to Habitat, and that introduction ultimately changed the family’s life.
“Even though I was older when we moved in, I mark that moment as the beginning of my life here,” Mariel shared. “Before, it felt like we were always in survival mode. Once we had the house, it felt like we could finally settle in. My parents finally had some ease in their hearts, and I could finally start becoming my own person.”
Mariel remembers the process well. From the interviews to the family drives to watch their future home slowly come together, every step stood out. “We’d visit the site and see the foundation poured, the walls going up. There was this momentum and excitement that built with every visit,” she said. “One day, when it was just the framing, my sisters and I ran through the house choosing our rooms. I still have pictures from that day.”
Though she was old enough to feel the emotional and financial impact of homeownership, Mariel was just shy of being able to contribute to construction herself. That memory stayed with her. “I always wished I could have helped build it,” she said. “I was into theater at the time and working with power tools to build sets, so I felt ready. I just wanted to be part of it.”
Now, nearly ten years later, she’s finding her way back to Habitat. This time, she brings new skills and a growing passion for creating spaces that serve people. As a master’s student in architecture at the University of Idaho, Mariel is especially interested in the ways that architecture shapes communities. “The creative side drew me in at first,” she said. “But what’s kept me here is realizing how much a home can impact people’s lives. That’s what matters to me.”
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For Mariel, volunteering with Habitat isn’t just a way to gain hands-on experience. It’s a way to pay it forward. “I don’t remember the people who built our home alongside us, but I think about them all the time,” she said. “To be able to give that feeling to another family, especially immigrant families like mine, is really meaningful. A home gave my family stability. I want to help offer that to someone else.”
She’s especially inspired by how Habitat homes adapt to the lives within them. “I started knocking on neighbors’ doors for a thesis project just to see how everyone has made their house their own,” she laughed. “They’re like these blank canvases, and every family creates something different with theirs. That’s the beauty of it.”
Today, the family’s Habitat home is almost ten years old. Mariel sees this next chapter, returning to Habitat as a volunteer, as coming full circle. “When I applied, it just clicked. It felt spontaneous in the moment, but it made perfect sense. I’ve always wanted to do this.”
From dreaming of her own bedroom as a teenager to studying the structures that shape our world, Mariel’s story is a testament to what safe, affordable housing can do. The impact goes far beyond move-in day. It lasts a lifetime.