Personal 'Miss You Like Hell' Post

Dear Castaways,

Playing the role of Beatriz Santiago in this beautiful show (Miss You Like Hell) has both given me challenges as an actor and as a fifteen-year old girl. These real life challenges are due to the similar hardships that i can relate to in this story and more specifically this character. Beatriz resembles my mother, strong, funny, optimistic and beautiful in every way. As the daughter to a single mother and a Brazilian immigrant, I have seen the pain and the joy of what it means to become an American citizen. My entire life i have observed the sacrifices my mom has made for a better life, rooting from the choice she made to leave behind her mother, brothers and any life she had ever known. For a country she had never been to, and a language she didnʼt speak. In the past fifteen years of my life i have been lucky enough to see my mother receive her green card, become an ESL (English Second Language) teacher at WCC, to help others with similar circumstances to herself, buy her very own house and become a proud American citizen. I write this to thank my mom for all the hard work, determination and love she has provided for her family her entire life. Mom, you truly are my lioness and warrior.

- Vicky Salves, Actor