Youth Spotlight: Nursh Muhammad

Whether it’s handing out holiday cards to veterans through the Holidays for Heroes program, guiding other Red Cross youth in engaging yet educational disaster preparedness activities such as the Zombie Apocalypse Party, or managing the administrative side of her high school Red Cross club — you can count on Nursh Muhammad to get the job done. Or at least that’s what Janice Wong, a Red Cross Youth Advisor and Volunteer Disaster Services Caseworker says, as she reflects on Nursh’s involvement with the Greater Long Beach Chapter. “Nursh’s presence at the chapter has made her a ‘regular’,” Janice said. “You can count on her to help; she is a delight to be around!”

Nursh, a junior attending McBride High School in Long Beach, CA, joined the American Red Cross as a general volunteer 3 years ago. She now serves as the secretary of the McBride High School Red Cross Club, taking charge of her club’s administrative and organizational tasks. She also has served as a general youth volunteer with the Long Beach Youth Corp (LBYC) since 2016. In the course of her time with the Red Cross, Nursh has not only participated in numerous activities, both in her high school club and in the LBYC — from Holidays for Heroes, to fire-safety canvassing in the Compton Home Fire Campaign, to several blood drives —, but has also committed much of her time planning activities for other members to enjoy as a club officer and youth leader.

“When I saw that all these different people were coming together to do things for a good cause, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Red Cross”

During her journey with the Red Cross, there have been several moments that Nursh has found memorable, but the one that so far has been the most memorable was when she visited Long Beach Island for the Holidays for Heroes program. “When we passed out the cards to the veterans, you could just see their faces light up,” Nursh said. “Seeing their reactions was the best part. They were just so happy and grateful for what we were doing.” However, Nursh

has volunteered the most at blood drives. Serving as a Red Cross Blood Donor Ambassador, she frequently assists the administrative and communication side blood drives. Recalling the first blood drive she attended in the summer after 9th grade, Nursh reflects, “When I saw that all these different people were coming together to do things for a good cause, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Red Cross.”

Hoping to work in the medical field as a pediatrician in the future, Nursh sees many parallels between her current Red Cross work and her career aspirations. She has even completed Your First Aid Safety Training (YFAST), which has her prepared her in Emergency First Aid and educated her in medical knowledge such as pathogens. Recognizing different perspectives and learning to connect with people of all backgrounds has certainly also been a crucial part of Nursh’s experience as a Red Cross volunteer. She feels that has learned many important communication and team work skills that she plans to bring to her future career. “Red Cross has taught me [how] to work with others,” Nursh said. “When you go to blood drives, you have to work with different people and learn to understand each other.”

In the future, Nursh looks beyond volunteering within her high school club and would like to increase her involvement with the her local Greater Long Beach Red Cross Chapter as well, hoping to join the Red Cross Disaster Service Response team. We thank you for all your hard work, Nursh, and look forward to all the exciting work you will continue to do with the Red Cross.

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

– Angela, National Youth Council member, Communications Working Group Lead