By Lance Maligaya
I would’ve never imagined myself working at a hospital, let alone a children’s hospital. I’ve always wanted to work with kids in an educational setting, but this last summer I was selected to be a Seed intern on the Pediatric Wellness team at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s.
My mind was opened every weekday as I served meals to kids at the Mary Bridge Health Center alongside my supervisors, Erica and Chelsey. Because my supervisors believed in me, I was able to really trust in what I could bring to the program: costumes, infectious smiles, and determination to meet our collective visions of the Summer Meals program.
Just throughout the three months of being a Seed intern for Erica and Chelsey, we gave out more than a thousand meals to children and families that visited our health center site. During lunchtime, I dressed up as a carrot, and whenever I felt “gouda”, as an inflatable corn!
I learned to value community work even more than I already did. The countless early mornings I spent making summer meals for kids, working with the lovely volunteers who help us with meals prep and service, all of it grew my love for Tacoma and what Mary Bridge promotes: to partner for healing and a healthy future for children.
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Wellness Team at Auburn KidsDay, Summer 2025. (Photo courtesy of Lance Maligaya)
Even if it was early in the morning, or my stomach was growling for lunch, there was always a moment where volunteers and staff shared stories, laughter, and dad jokes with the kids and nurses that visited us during our meal services.
In the office, I enjoyed designing projects like infographics of food resources from different Washington State counties. I worked to meet the Health Center’s goal of educating children and families on health and wellness, including making language-friendly food resources for Spanish speakers as well.
I loved that my supervisors were strong leaders and effective communicators. After every meal service, I brainstormed with Erica and/or Chelsey on what we could do better. We added visuals and an ingredient list of which meals were being served depending on the day, and I created a visual for each meal, including an ingredient list with cartoon-style fruits, veggies, and meat (friendly and fitting for the kids and families).
Because of the trust my supervisors had in me and my work, my sense of purpose is now more sharpened. I’ve always wanted to use my experiences to help others and contribute to the growth and culture of communities. I feel like I did exactly that, being on-site at the Health Center, seeing our demand for summer meals go higher each week, and seeing kids smile more and more.
Lance with his supervisor Erica (left) and activity booklets he made for each summer meal (right). (Photos courtesy of Lance Maligaya)
I gave out stickers and activity bundles that I put together for children to take home or for them to bring during their long appointments. The people that I worked with day by day were the reason why it was easy for me to spread joy with what I did, and why I was always eager to show in and show out at work.
Filipino families are rooted in deep love, resilience, and unwavering support, bound by strong faith and a spirit of togetherness. These are the values and strengths that make me the homegrown leader I am today. These traits have been super important to me my whole life. But, acknowledging the different experiences of those I’ve worked with—and using those insights to uplift other communities—is also crucial to my description of a homegrown leader.
In the future, I would love to share my experiences and knowledge with children in need, in whatever department or field I work in. I would love to help families, guardians, and older people that I work with in bettering themselves and growing as mentors for the kids that they interact with or raise.
Filipino families are rooted in deep love, resilience, and unwavering support
I remember asking Chelsey in my first week at MultiCare as a Seed intern, “What should I expect from this internship?” She told me that there would always be something new every day… That was no exaggeration.
But because of that, I learned so much about problem-solving and being adaptable. Going into work each day with a flexible mindset allowed me to engage with my peers more intentionally. I also learned how important it is to build the courage to ask questions, whether it’s about my work or just out of plain curiosity. Asking questions fuels learning, deepens connection, and sparks the kind of thinking that drives progress.
To Erica and Chelsey, the work you guys are doing is so meaningful and so powerful. I am confident that our team will continue to produce exceptional work. Because of my experience interning with your team, I yearn to continue building community, fostering trust among my peers, and collaborating with people both within and beyond the communities I become a part of. I hope to continue trusting myself as I carry that carrot-wearing-intern energy forward in my work with others.
Thank you.
Lance Maligaya is a proud Pinoy raised in Rainier Beach for most of his childhood. In his final year of undergrad, he is working towards a Social Work and Communications double major at Pacific Lutheran University. Shoutout Act Six! Shoutout College Success Foundation! Shoutout to the Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability team at PLU! Mabuhay!
Featured image: Lance speaking at the Seed Internships 2025 Celebration with his MultiCare supervisor. (Photo by Sharon Ho Chang)
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