MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Every month, our Member Spotlight features an exceptionally involved Red Cross Club Member in order to tell their story. Each volunteering experience that is shared helps to make our community that much better.
Alexandrea is a 2nd-year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of Bran Flakes family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“(I joined RCC because) a friend recommended it to me and said that it was a fun way to get to know people and serve the community. That interested me and when I came to the club, I found it to be super fun.”
“(My favorite part of volunteering is) the community you form with other members while engaging in a volunteer opportunity and helping others.”
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“(My favorite volunteering event has been) Penguin Watch. Last quarter, the people I was with started to play Disney songs and sing along while we looked at penguins. We also took turns sharing our screens to show any interesting pictures we found.”
“In my spare time, I like to watch crime TV shows such as Law and Order SVU and play piano.”
APRIL 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Christine is a 1st-year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of the Appa Jacks family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I initially checked out RCC wanting to get more involved somehow at UCI and decided to join when I went to my first meeting where I felt super welcomed and included!”
“With volunteering, especially at Red Cross, not only do I get to help out our community, but I also get to do so while hanging out with really cool people!”
“My favorite volunteering event so far was the Snapshot Serengeti because I actually got to see so many different animals (which I almost never get lucky seeing something exciting) and got to talk about whether we'd be able to win in a fight against Wario which was quite the interesting topic.”
“Fun Fact: I really like dancing whether that be hip hop, contemporary, or other genres! (even though I've been getting a bit rusty :p)”
APRIL 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Kelsy is a fourth year Psychology Major, and is a member of Froot Loops family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I joined the American Red Cross Club at UCI because I wanted to join a wholesome club that gave me fun volunteer opportunities and helped me make new friends.
I really like meeting new people in the club and bonding with them while helping a greater cause.
My favorite RCC volunteering event so far is the squirrel watch event because we played a lot of throwback music and laughed to funny pictures of squirrels.
A fun fact about me: I can do a head stand.”
MARCH 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
MARCH 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Kirsten is a 1st-year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of Cinnamon Toast Crunch family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I heard about the American Red Cross Club from my Bio Sci 2A TA and I was interested by the club’s volunteering, service goals as well as building a sense of community with the UCI community.
I enjoy the fun interactions with members while contributing to a global cause. Zoom University has made it difficult to make friends and interact with other UCI students, but volunteering provides a safe and productive space to share time with others.
My favorite event so far was the Snapshot Grumetti because I learned how to identify tons of African animals and shared my animal findings with friends!
In my spare time, I enjoy painting and playing tennis. These activities give me a creative and stress relieving outlets that keep me at my best.”
Kaitlyn is a 1st-year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of Rice Krispies family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I was a part of ARC in high school! So I wanted to continue my participation onto UCI, despite the pandemic and lots of schedule conflicts.
I enjoy giving back to my community. What I admire about Red Cross is that they demonstrate selfless contribution, hosting events that give acts and services of kindness. It's gratifying to be a part of a warm community.
The seagull/bird watch: it was really chill and a relaxing event to be a part of. Also the members there were playing a lot of funny music.
One of the reasons that pushed me to be a part of ARC was seeing a man give CPR to a stranger at a festival. That was so cool, it felt like a movie, and it motivated me to get my own license (which is expiring in a few months :') ) Another fact about me is that I have a cat. ”
MARCH 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Sydney is a 1st-year Undeclared member of Cap’n Crunch family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I decided to join the American Red Cross club because I thought it would be a great way to meet new people who also love to help others and their community.
What I enjoy most about volunteering is the connections that you make while helping your community. Whether you get to know the people you're volunteering with or the people who you are there to lend a helping hand to.
My favorite RCC volunteering event so far has been the Western Shield Camera Watch because it was super cool to see different kinds of Australian animals! It was also a super fun seeing all the jock kangaroos and the group talking about losing in fights against them.
In my spare time I love to go hiking and getting to be in nature!”
MARCH 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
JANUARY 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Paola is a 3rd year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch family. Here are a few words she shared about her RCC experience:
“I decided to join the American Red Cross Club at UCI because I wanted to be more involved and have the opportunity to give back to my community! Everyone in RCC is always so welcoming and have made my experiences within the club extremely memorable! It is a privilege to be a part of an organization that is able to make a huge impact on people's lives and truly address the ongoing disparities that oftentimes go unseen.
What I enjoy the most about volunteering is getting to meet new people and building connections with the communities that we serve. It is so rewarding to know that I have made a difference in someone's life and have made them feel supported!
My favorite RCC volunteering event so far is Sound the Alarm! We went around a neighborhood installing free fire alarms for residents in Santa Ana. At the time of the event, I learned that only 17% of the neighborhood had fire alarms and 5% were not functioning. This was such an eye-opening experience for me and I hope to participate in this event in the future to continue helping my community!
I am currently a part of SHIP (Student Healthcare In Practice) at UCI and I work at Yogurtland! I LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies (who else bc they are always getting hated on :'( ) and my favorite artist is Harry Styles <33.”
JANUARY 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Brian is a 1st year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of the Rice Krispies family. Here are a few words he shared about his RCC experience:
“I decided to join the Red Cross Club here at UCI because of my previous experiences volunteering with the Red Cross. In the past, I have been able to help install smoke alarms and assist people during blood drives. I hope to continue my journey because of my passion to give back to my community.
My favorite part of volunteering is meeting other people and hearing their stories because they inspire me to continue my hard work and it motivates me to be more outgoing.
My favorite volunteering event is still helping to install smoke detectors in my community because of the hands on experience, but I have also really liked advocating for the Corazón de Vida campaigns that raise money for orphaned children. It is important to me because it will make a difference for people in need.
In my spare time, I like to play tennis or badminton with my friends. Hopefully, I will be able to do it more once the pandemic is over.”
JANUARY 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Jaqueline is a 2nd year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of the Cap’n Crunch family. Here are a few words she shared about her RCC experience:
“I decided to join the Red Cross Club because I enjoy volunteering and interacting with the community knowing that I can be of some help in making a beneficial change. I also joined in hopes of meeting new people that share a common interest during the community events.
[What] I enjoy the most about volunteering is interacting with the other members as we crack jokes in the chat as we talk, laugh, and chill. Also, knowing that I can help the community in some form is really the best, even more so with others!
My favorite event was Western Shield Camera Watch because that event had so many hilarious images of animals doing wacky things like fighting and chillin like Kangaroo Jack. This event was so open and had plenty of good laughs as we discussed various small topics and jokes.
In my spare time I really love to draw and paint! It is something that I have been doing since middle school and it is such a stress reliever on the weekends or whenever I have any spare time to doodle or do more adventurous pieces while testing out new media.”
JANUARY 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Nishanth is a 1st year Public Health Sciences Major, and is a member of the Froot Loops family. Here are a few words he shared about his RCC experience:
“I did ARC in high school and so I wanted to continue it at UCI as well. ARC is a fun helping environment that cares for the safety of people. I like helping out organizations that help societies medically and so I joined ARC.
The satisfying feeling that I get when my volunteering has paid off to a good start is what I really enjoy about volunteering itself because it makes your hard work feel complete.
My favorite RCC volunteering event was the Disk Detective because I found two images of stars clustered together, in which one looked like an "alien" and another looked like "Godzilla," and we had fun time comparing them.
A fun fact about me is that I have an extra thumb on my right hand that is curved at a good 90 degrees and gives me the advantage to beat people at a thumb war.”
DECEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Raphael is a 2nd year Aerospace Engineering Major, and was a member of Trix Fam! Here are a few words he shared about his RCC experience:
"I participated in my high school's Red Cross Club back when I was in high school, and I really enjoyed the experience I got from it. That experience motivated me to continue taking part in Red Cross in college, and it led me to find RCC at UCI.
The main aspect I really enjoy about volunteering is being able to give back to the community and doing something for the greater good. For me, giving back was an important aspect to understand not just in volunteering, but in life, in general.
My favorite RCC volunteering event so far was probably Penguin Watch (though Humbug was a close second) because it was really fun collaborating with other RCC members to find out how many penguins, penguin chicks, and etc. there were on each photo (it really required a good eye!). Also, as a side note, it was just really awesome getting to see all the cute penguins.
A quirky fact about me is that I enjoy making and hearing puns and daddy jokes, which the ones I make get mixed feedback about from my friends (like groans... or hahas... from them)."
Kyóya is a 4th year Chemical Engineering Major, and was a member of Lucky Charms Fam! Here are a few words he shared about his RCC experience:
"Red Cross Club was actually recommended to me by a friend of mine, Brennan, who was already in the club. I decided to look into it and therefore attended the first meeting of winter quarter where I met up with him.
The thing I enjoy most about volunteering is that it provides an opportunity for people to bond over philanthropy, which I find to be very wholesome. Plus, it gave me an excuse to leave my quarters as well as provide a break from the academic grind.
My favorite event is still the Working Wardrobes; I think it is mostly because it really coalesced with my OCD and the destressing factor of doing manual labor. Plus, I found the people there to be genuinely nice.
A fun fact about me is that I play Minecraft. :)"
DECEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Trami is a 2nd year Pharmaceutical Sciences Major, and was a member of Fruity Pebbles Fam! Here are a few words she shared about her RCC experience:
“[I decided to join RCC at UCI because] I wanted to be more involved on campus, and I really liked the variety of volunteering opportunities RCC provided. Everyone was also really nice when I went to my first meeting :)
I liked how I could meet new people [through volunteering]. Because we’re always doing something at events, it doesn’t feel awkward even though I’m shy.
[In terms of my favorite RCC volunteering event,] I liked the Giving Farm because they let us feed the cows at the end and that was super cute.
Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of Animal Crossing. I also enjoy exercising because it helps me de-stress and I don’t feel so guilty eating my heart out (I’m not that fit tho lol).”
DECEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
DECEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Tiffany is a 2nd year Pharmaceutical Sciences Major, and was a member of Cocoa Puffs Fam! Here are a few words she shared about her RCC experience:
“I decided to join RCC at UCI, because I wanted to dedicate more of my time to helping others and also meet new people. I was involved in a Red Cross club in high school, so I was excited to discover RCC at UCI. I loved how everyone was so welcoming!
What I enjoy the most about volunteering is how even the smallest actions can make a difference. I love seeing people smile and being able to help them to the best of my ability.
My favorite RCC volunteering event so far has been Penguin Watch, which was my first-ever RCC event. I never knew that there were so many different ways you could volunteer, including helping researchers monitor penguin foraging behavior. I love animals, so it was fun identifying so many cute penguins in various pictures. Some RCC members shared their pictures with hundreds of tagged penguins or some penguins seemingly fighting. It was nice meeting and bonding with other RCC members for the first time!
I am also involved in Pre-Pharmacy Society at UCI. In my free time, I enjoy watching shows, listening to music, and playing tennis.”
NOVEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Emily is a fourth year Public Health Sciences Major, and is a member of Lucky Charms family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I joined my second year after hearing about CDV during AIF and went late into the quarter. I felt extremely welcomed by board members and decided to participate more in the club because of the immaculate vibes and services to the community.
Giving back to the community is such a privilege and really has opened my eyes to the disparities occurring in our own area. Being able to contribute in any way to minimize that disparity gap fulfills my passion in providing for others.
My first event was at the Thomas House Shelter for Thanksgiving dinner and despite having done other awesome events with the club, this event holds near and dear to my heart. The food, children, families, and seeing every one dressed so well really made for an awesome night. I still wear the light up sneakers they gave us.
I participate in the Free Clinic Project and DIM at UCI. I love going to dollar tree and trying out snacks as well as any new meals at fast food places. I also love makeup, crocheting, and filming TikToks with my turtles (shameless plug: @emma_leeee)”
NOVEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Hannah is a second year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of Fruity Pebbles family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“When I was a freshman, I wanted to find a club that I could be in for the rest of undergrad and volunteering seemed like a good way to meet new people and gain new experiences. Why RCC? Probably a product of the chaos that is the Involvement Fair.
The best part for me is gaining new life experiences with other club members. There were so many experiences from last year's in-person events that I had previously never had before like working in food banks/kitchens, dog walking, and even kayaking.
My favorite event was the Harbor Cleanup during Winter quarter of last year. We got to kayak to the areas next to the water that needed trash cleanup and that was my first time kayaking. (Apparently, you need arm strength which I didn't really have.) But my most memorable part of that event was actually almost losing both of my shoes in the mud! Luckily, my shoes were able to be saved or this would have been a somewhat different experience. Never trust dirt banks next to water, kids.
I like watching YouTube videos in my spare time especially gaming. Why pay $200 on consoles and video games when you can watch them for free? ”
NOVEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Diana is a third year Public Health Sciences Major, and is a member of Cocoa Puffs family. 🥳🎉Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I decided to join RCC at UCI because I wanted to continue helping people in the best way I can. I also wanted to connect with people that shared the same interests and passions as me such as volunteering and helping others.
Something I enjoyed most about volunteering is knowing the fact that I was able to do something impactful for the community. No matter how little or how big the impact may possibly be, it still makes a difference.
I would say Rodent Little Brother. I did this event twice, one last year and one this quarter. For both times, I was able to connect and talk to other members in RCC and not only that, but we got to see how the cute little mice are in their cages (like climbing like Spider-man or wagging their tails vigorously) and how they interacted with each other!.
A fun fact about me is I don't know how to ride a bike or swim (someone please teach me).”
Brett is a first year U/U soon to be Business Administration Major, and is a member of Trix family. Here are a few words he shared about himself and his RCC experience:
“I joined RCC because I want to help make the world a better place and do it with others who are just as passionate about helping as well.
The parts I enjoy most about volunteering are having a great time with others while knowing you’re helping the world little by little.
Choosing a favorite RCC volunteering event is difficult but it would have to be between Disk Detective, Climate Records, and Boston Phoenix 74 because each of these events allowed me to either see the past or parts of the world I don’t get to see on a regular day.
In my spare time, I like to listen to and play music (acoustic guitar), ride my bike, or watch movies because they all let me distress and put effort into a creative outlet!”
NOVEMBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
OCTOBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Kiara is a first year Criminology, Law, and Society Major, and is a member of Lucky Charms family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I decided to join RCC at UCI because I thought it would be a good opportunity to make new friends, especially being a freshman during this time period, and at the same time be able to help make the world a better place through volunteering.
I like seeing the impact on those I help, it always makes me smile when I think about how such a small action can easily make someone’s day. It makes me happy knowing I'm making a difference.
So far my favorite RCC volunteering event has been the penguin watch. Basically we were supposed to identify how many eggs, chicks, and adult penguins were in a picture, and it was entertaining to see the weird images people shared and listening to people add up their points.
In my spare time I mostly enjoy watching Netflix or doing crafts and a fun fact about me is that I lived in Australia for 7 years and was born in Argentina."
OCTOBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Elyssa is a second year Biological Sciences Major, and is a member of Fruity Pebbles family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I joined RCC because I've always loved helping out with the community, and I wanted to continue volunteering throughout college. After attending the first couple of meetings/events, everyone was super friendly and welcoming; I loved that so much!
I enjoy volunteering because it makes me feel so incredibly happy to know that what I'm doing is helping someone out there. I always try my best to help out everyone that I can, and it is a very rewarding feeling.
My favorite RCC volunteering event so far has been Penguin Watch. I really love animals, so I was looking pretty forward to this event. During the event, I honestly enjoyed counting all of the penguins in each of the pictures that I got. It was a great experience in general since a lot of other people were also sharing their screen and showing everyone what they were finding; we were also helping each other out when we couldn't tell if something was either an adult penguin, a chick, or just a rock. Interestingly enough, there were also other species present in the pictures, which was also really cool to see as well.
I really like to draw in my spare time! It serves as a stress reliever for me, and I usually take breaks in between studying or doing my homework just to doodle something really quick.”
OCTOBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Gabrielle is a third year Biological Sciences Major and a member of Cocoa Puffs family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I joined RCC to have more time with my friends and to also volunteer more!”
“Making people smile is my favorite part about volunteering with RCC!”
“My favorite RCC volunteering event so far has been Healthbridge Hospital! There was this adorable little girl named Gabby and she was so friendly and despite her condition she still had the biggest smile on her face and I wish I could have half her strength. Everyone there was so strong and it reminded me even if I’m going through it I should still be grateful for all the little things. Seeing their smiles gave me so much hope, and I wish to spread more!”
“In my spare time I love to play League of Legends!”
OCTOBER 2020
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Amber is a first year Education Sciences Major, and is a member of Trix family. Here are a few words she shared about herself and her RCC experience:
“I’ve always wanted to join the Red Cross Club at my high school because I hoped for more opportunities to help the community out. When I saw that UCI had a Red Cross Club, I was more than excited to join, meet new people, and volunteer more.
My favorite part about volunteering is knowing that you’re making a difference in the community, big or small. I love the feeling of helping out and contributing for a good cause.
So far, my favorite RCC volunteering event has been the Penguin Watch event. We were looking at pictures of penguins to identify the adults, chicks, and eggs. It was super fun seeing the adorable penguins while bonding with other RCC members.
In my spare time, I enjoy journaling, playing piano, and watching Netflix. A fun fact about me is that I’m currently learning American Sign Language!”