Youth Spotlight: Sujai Jaipalli

“It’s all about organization and dedication – if you have those two things you’re good to go.”

These two grounding principles of Sujai’s character have guided him throughout his leadership in his Red Cross story. Dabbling around in volunteering events in middle school because his older brother was a volunteer, Sujai joined the Huron High School Red Cross Club as an official member his freshman year. Yet the student group had been small and fairly inactive previously, sparking Sujai’s eagerness to improve the club.

“I noticed the possibility of connecting our club with the greater regional chapter,” he said, “and out of all the clubs at my high school, I saw so much potential with our Red Cross Club to improve.”

He began to show his commitment for change in his club, attending every club meeting and contributing his best efforts to volunteering whether it was at blood drives or fundraisers. Soon enough, he was asked to shadow the club executive board at every planning meeting as a freshman.

“He never failed to show up with a smile and was ready to serve in any capacity that would help the club,” Sujai’s advisor, Hala Boles, said.

This year for National Youth Involvement Month (NYIM), Sujai took initiative to celebrate the month of volunteerism with a collaborative canned food drive with partner clubs and a school-scale Holiday Mail for Heroes activity. He even reached out to his school’s local Veteran’s Affairs hospital as well and his high school has been working to be able to send the cards to the veterans. Sujai is committed to his role as a leader in his club and plans to continue his role as president, implementing future creative events, blood drives, and leadership development activities.

“Red Cross is one of the few organizations that empower youth,” Sujai reflected, “I really love the way the Red Cross helps us with leadership but also ultimately helps out the community.”

Thank you so much for your service Sujai, and we wish you the best of luck in your Red Cross journey.

– Hoyt Gong, National Youth Council member, Youth Working Group Lead