In 2017, just a few weeks after their daughter, Monica Dreesen, graduated from high school, Barbara Alvarez's husband died unexpectedly. They had been estranged from each other, but the loss was still poignant and painful for Alvarez, particularly when the time came for her daughter to leave for college.
When Alvarez arrived at the dorms and saw all the other students moving in with the help of their parents, the realization that she was now a single mom hit hard.
"I was just overwhelmed wondering how I was going to navigate all this stuff with my daughter, when I had always pictured that it would be a mom and a dad helping her, and here I was by myself."
Alvarez and her daughter were waiting in a long line for their turn to take the small elevator up to her daughter's floor. Just then, a young woman appeared.
"She introduced herself as the dorm's hall minister [and] led [us] to an elevator in another part of the dorm [that was] more remote," Alvarez said.
The young woman, whose name Alvarez recalls as Jody, helped them load all their boxes and bins into the elevator, then helped them get all of the belongings to her daughter's dorm room.
"[She] even gave us the strength that we lacked to lift and loft the bed," Alvarez remembered.
As the mother and daughter unpacked, Jody continued to come back and check on the pair to make sure they had everything they needed. When it was time for Alvarez to leave, her sadness was coupled with joy, knowing that Jody would be looking out for her daughter.
"My constant thought in those days was, 'Who's going to help us? And how will I be able to do this all myself, to help my kid claim her independence and her adulthood?'"
Jody's help gave Alvarez hope in a moment of great need. And her impact still resonates in Alvarez's life today.
"We still talk about Jody, and what it was that helped her see that this new widowed mother needed help," Alvarez said. "I hope wherever Jody is, she's only encountering the same kind of kindness that she gave to us."
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
Copyright 2026 NPR
