Welcome to one of our newest citizens!
Welcome to one of our newest citizens!
BIIN celebrates every milestone, big or small, knowing that sometimes the biggest ones come in small packages. One such milestone happened on March 13, 2022, when Miguel Eduardo was born to Alan and Adriana Carolina Stowe.
Miguelito’s mamá is called “Carolina” by some and “Adriana” by others (including the author of this piece). She has been an essential member of the BIIN staff for several years: after serving as technology intern from Fall 2018 through Fall 2019, she has been BIIN’s database and website manager since January 2020. After her graduation from TAMU in December 2019, Adriana married Alan Stowe and they settled in their new home outside Conroe, close to Alan’s family.
Working quietly behind the scenes, Adriana has been a tremendous asset to BIIN. She has improved the functionality of BIIN’s various systems and digital tools, created resources to help others use them, formatted and disseminated digital and print communications (newsletter, website, donor records and communications, etc.), and much more. During the pandemic, as many aspects of BIIN’s operations have been adapted in response to new needs and concerns, Adriana has been a crucial team player: she helped administer the BIIN CARES Fund, worked with volunteer Darci Kole to revamp the BIIN website, has provided vital support to the IRA team, and stepped up to facilitate registration for classes and respond to inquiries at key times between successive interns. Since fall 2021, she also has worked closely with Director Jaimi Washburn and Salesforce consultants to transition BIIN to a new comprehensive database. As Jaimi observed:
I love working with Adriana. She always has a smile, a can-do attitude, and is willing to help out any way she can even if it is not her favorite thing to do. For example, she is not too fond of talking on the phone, but when we began working remotely during the pandemic she agreed to return phone calls every day. She said it was good for her to step out of her comfort zone.
Her ability to figure things out by herself is remarkable. Adriana manages all of the technical tasks for the organization. When I ask her to do something she doesn’t know how to do, she does research and figures it out. I honestly do not know what I would have done the past four years without her. I am so grateful to work with her and to have her as a friend, and Miguel is a very lucky boy to have Adriana as his mom!
In preparation for her maternity leave, Adriana created detailed instructions and video tutorials to help staff and interns who would take on some of these roles during her absence. When her leave began on March 6, Adriana and Alan were more than ready for their long-awaited child to be born. However, it was only a week later that Adriana went into labor: on March 13, the day that Daily Savings Time resumed.
The labor of birthing a child is extraordinary under any circumstances. As Adriana explained, “I’m not sure how many hours of actual labor it was. The clocks were still an hour behind at the hospital and the poor nurses were constantly confused.” But at 10:09 pm CST, Miguelito was born.
As his delighted mamá recalled, “He was placed on my chest for an hour before getting weighed and all, and Alan got to cut the cord. We both cried like babies the entire time, it was an absolutely beautiful experience!” Adriana is grateful to Alan and Alan’s mother for being there and supporting her during Miguelito’s birth, and to her own mother for coming to cook, feed, and pamper the three of them, after they returned home.
As the Stowes adapt to novel demands and rhythms as a family, we wish them all the best, including tranquil moments of open-eyed discovery, the joy and wonder of many firsts, and plenty of good naps. We look forward to having Adriana rejoin the BIIN team later this spring, but for now, we want her to rest, recuperate and really enjoy being with Miguelito as he awakens to the world around him.
Congratulations, Adriana and Alan! And to this very special one of our newest citizens in the BIIN-o-sphere, we say, “¡Bienvenido, Miguelito! We are so glad you are here!”
