Understanding the vital need for blood donations motivated senior health science major Marissa Luna to do something about it.

“Having donated blood to the Red Cross before, I experienced firsthand how significant it is to help others in need. I wanted to get more involved and take on a role where I could make an even greater impact, so I reached out to the Red Cross to initiate a blood drive on campus,” she said.

The recent event, which took place in The Red Barn, collected 30 productive units of blood, exceeding its goal of 20.

“Every donor helps save up to three lives, so the impact of this drive is truly incredible,” Marissa said.

As Blood Drive Leader, Marissa oversaw several tasks including organizing logistics, recruiting donors, promoting the event to students and public, and ensuring the drive ran smoothly.

“Logistics was a challenge,” she said. “That included booking the venue and ensuring all of the equipment was available. My goal was to create an atmosphere where donors felt comfortable and had a positive experience. To make that possible, I worked closely with Rachel Ricciuti, Mitchell College Student Affairs fellow, who helped coordinate every detail and address any issues that arose along the way.”

Putting Coursework to Work

Marissa, who wants to work as a nuclear medicine technologist, said that lessons learned from her Science and Public Policy and Personal/Community Health classes were put to good use in organizing the blood drive.

“My coursework helped me understand the importance of public health initiatives like blood drives, as well as the logistics and community engagement involved in organizing them,” she said.

Her favorite part of organizing a blood drive? Contributing to the community in a meaningful way.

“Seeing the direct impact of our work and knowing that every donation could help save lives shows that we’re truly making a difference in the community,” she said, adding that she appreciated that Mitchell College offered her this unique opportunity to take on this project.