Who is Mrs. Bigio from The Wednesday Wars and what is their importance?

Edna Bigio is the school lunch woman. Mrs. Bigio is a kind woman, and an excellent baker. She cares for the children of the school deeply, but when a loved one is killed in Vietnam, she is plunged into despair. Unfortunately, a young woman in seventh grade, Mai Thi, has just migrated to the States from Vietnam, and Mrs. Bigio takes her anger and despair out on the young woman. She is snippy with the girl during lunch and goes out of her way to make her feel uncomfortable. It is clear Mrs. Bigio feels badly about her treatment of Mai Thi as she nearly cries following her outburst, but the two continue to avoid one another. When Mai Thi is teased about her heritage, however, Bigio swallows her pride and helps Mrs. Baker make a dish native to Vietnam. She also apologizes to Mai Thi. By the end of the book, Mrs. Bigio offers Mai Thi a permanent home with her. Mrs. Bigio and Mai Thi's relationship shows clearly the discrimination and hatred that was common at the time of the novel, but it also serves to tie together the lessons of Shakespeare Holling is learning with reality.