ConnectUs Youth Spotlight EP 14: Anne Sophie Muleiro, What a Bracelet Taught Her About Seeing People

Anne Sophie Muleiro splits her time between a pediatric hospital in Texas, a nonprofit in Mexico, and a homeless outreach program that starts before sunrise. Each one comes from the same place: a habit of noticing the person in front of her rather than just their circumstances. We spoke with her about all three.

Who Is Anne Sophie

Anne Sophie lives in Austin, Texas, and has Mexican roots she stays closely connected to. She describes herself as someone who loves her culture, loves giving back to people in Mexico, and is drawn to healthcare in almost every form it takes, from hospital wards to street outreach.

"I love promoting and helping others through any means possible, especially in healthcare," she said.

Photo of Anne-Sophie in Austin, TX

Where It Started

Anne Sophie's connection to healthcare traces back to when she was six years old. Her mother was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, and the family made frequent trips to a medical center in Houston for chemotherapy and treatment.

"I basically grew up surrounded in a hospital with doctors," she said. Her mother is now cancer free, but the experience left a mark. Watching doctors care for her mom and for other patients gave her a model for what she wanted to do.

Her interest in science and biology, how things work, was already there. What the hospital added was the human side, the part where understanding a system meets actually helping someone through it.

"I feel like the field of medicine ties all those things together in a way that really entices me," she said.

Texas Children's Hospital

Anne Sophie recently finished volunteering at Texas Children's Hospital, where she worked directly with pediatric patients. The experience showed her a side of medicine that does not come up in a science class.

"It's the point of being emotionally strong and being understanding in the fact that it's a little kid," she said. A pediatrician has to do the job in front of them, but they also have to ex

plain what is happening to a seven year old instead of an adult, and stay steady while doing it. Watching that balance up close changed how she thinks about the field.

Anne-Sophie Volunteering at Texas Children's Hospital

Un Buen Grupo de Niños

In Mexico, Anne Sophie volunteers with Un Buen Grupo de Niños, a nonprofit that brings healthcare to under-resourced areas. Even from the United States, she stays involved by managing their social media and advertising, which puts her in regular contact with photos and stories from the communities they serve.

She is currently spending time in Puebla, Mexico. The city itself is not rural, but the contrast between wealth and poverty is still visible on the street, in ways that are hard to look past.

"You still got to see the big contrast of the ultra rich to the ultra poor," she said, "and it really does mark an image on me of just how poverty is here, and how we really need to help these people out."

Photo of Children and Puebla city, Pixabay

Feed My People

Back in Austin, Anne Sophie volunteers with Feed My People, an organization that provides meals and showers to people experiencing homelessness. Her shift starts at three in the morning, most Thursdays.

"As sleep depriving as that may sound, it's very fulfilling," she said.

What stayed with her most were the conversations. One man saw a bracelet she was wearing and told her it reminded him of the sunsets on a ranch he used to live on in Arizona. Another joked about a One Piece shirt he loved, insisting Walmart had the best merchandise around. Small moments like these reshaped how she saw the people she was serving.

"Sometimes you only see a person on the street, but you don't really get to think about them as a person, their story, how they got there," she said.

"I've had some really good interactions that have made me realize they're human, like me, and they've got their own struggles and their own things."

On Healthcare, Homelessness, and Policy

Anne Sophie's work has given her a grounded view on what support for people experiencing homelessness actually requires. She pointed to affordability as the core issue, both for physical healthcare and for the mental health and substance abuse support many people in these situations need but cannot access.

When asked how to balance that need with concerns about how public funds are spent, she suggested clear income-based caps on aid, more transparency about where funding goes, and better communication about what the support is achieving. She was also direct about the limits of just handing out money.

"We definitely need more rehab programs, more support circles, and more funding for support," she said. "Not just throwing money at people."

Her Advice

Anne Sophie's advice to students interested in healthcare is to start close to home rather than waiting for a large opportunity to appear.

"Look around you and see your community," she said. "Even a tiny little thing can do a huge amount of impact. If your local hospital, don't be afraid to reach out and ask if there's anything you can do to volunteer or shadow. There's always someone in need of help if you just look around yourself."

We hope you enjoy this episode of the ConnectUs Youth Spotlight, available on Spotify and across our social media platforms.