2020 has had a profound impact on Melissa's life. "This year, I've learned to be grateful for my life while I was helping as a healthcare professional in a long-term care facility with elderly people during the COVID-19 crisis," she told us.

After work, she found herself at home with more time to contribute. "I decided to invest more time on Local Guides Connect. It's clearly one of my highlights this year. I've met a wonderful community. It helped me to get social distractions during the lockdown. I'm so happy to have met all those people and to be part of that community."

Through Connect, she participated in meet-ups with passionate Local Guides around the world. "I'm not only a 'Local' Guide, but I'm also a 'global' guide," she said because she's able to make a difference in areas other than her own. She also shared her personal story of what it's like to be a healthcare professional during a pandemic.

"More than ever, I've learned how important my contributions were on Google Maps. With government instruction changing often, it's hard to know if a business is open or not," she continued. "Since small businesses are important to me, I was able to help them by updating their info on Google Maps. I can't count the number of times a business owner thanked me because I supported them this year."

Want to learn more about this incredible Local Guide? Check out their contributions on Google Maps and follow their profile on Connect.