On Oct. 21st, the American Red Cross Blood Drive came to UHS to allow students to donate blood to patients in need. Any students 16 or older are eligible to donate blood. UHS has been home to Red Cross Blood Drive for decades, providing a legacy of charity for students. 

The American Red Cross Blood Drive is an opportunity to give students a feeling of fulfillment and help the healthcare system in their community. 

¨Today we’re running a blood drive to support hospitals around Irvine,¨ sophomore and treasurer of the Red Cross Club Kobe Nguyen said. ¨We´ve recently been in a large shortage of blood so these donations have been a huge help for the hospitals and patients in need of healthy blood.¨

Many students described donating blood to the Red Cross as a wonderful and rewarding experience that everyone able to should partake in. 

¨If I can make a difference and save someone’s life, I´m definitely going to do it,” senior Shayna Motebassem said. “With one donation you can save three lives and I can’t wait to donate in the second semester too!¨ 

Parent and Blood Donor Ambassador for the Red Cross Kiana Satari believes that even though donating blood can be a stressful situation to put themselves in, in the end, it does help save a life. 

¨Although it is a scary experience, I do believe it’s rewarding for students to sacrifice a moment of pain to save someone’s life,” Satari said. “Many can participate in this and it’s a great privilege to be able to do this service for someone in need.¨

The Red Cross Club made dedicated cards thanking all the brave students who donated in this blood drive. The cards are a small way to show appreciation to the students who took this risk of donating. 

“The cards were a nice way to involve yourself if you could not donate blood,” sophomore Kate Lee said. ¨I think this is a great way to allow everyone to get involved in something so heroic and brave.¨

The next blood drive will be held in the second semester, allowing many more students who were not eligible for this semester’s drive to participate in the new one. The blood drive is a reflection of UHS students striving for good and helping others.