By: Abby Walker, American Red Cross Staff

Inside the University of Washington campus, a group of students is spearheading a movement to equip their school community with lifesaving skills. These students make up the Red Cross Club at University of Washington (UW) and share one common thread: a passion for making a difference. Now, they’re doing that through accessible CPR certifications.

Tristan Jafari is one of the students who has been instrumental in making the idea of free CPR certification a reality on the University of Washington campus. Tristan first got involved with the UW Red Cross Club as a freshman. As a biochemistry major with aspirations for a career in medicine, he was drawn to the club's mission of community service.

Now, as a sophomore, Tristan serves as the Vice President of the Red Cross Club and is helping to lead an initiative to provide CPR training at no cost to the university community. This initiative, he says, was one of his priorities as he stepped into his current leadership role within the club.

In the past, the club had reached out to local Red Cross instructors to conduct occasional CPR classes for its members. However, recognizing the importance of this lifesaving knowledge, Tristan and his peers sought to create a sustainable system that had the capacity to serve a broader audience.

“We started thinking about how to expand this program so that we can reach not just our members, but the greater UW community,” said Tristan. “Because there are thousands and thousands of students and faculty at our university.”

And that’s when they contacted the Red Cross Northwest Region and organized a training event to allow the students within the Red Cross Club to become certified CPR instructors.

“The idea was to have our students within the Red Cross Club actually serve as the instructors and teach CPR to other students and community members within the university and give them certifications for it,” said Tristan. “Really, our goal was just to make sure our community was more prepared in cases like sudden cardiac arrest.”

Katie Prettyman, who leads the volunteer services team within the Northwest Region and oversees multiple Red Cross clubs, praises the student's proactiveness.

"It’s inspiring to see how self-motivated this club was to share these life-saving skills with their peers," she said.

In August 2023, nine students, including Tristan, underwent an all-day Red Cross training, taught by CPR instructor Christie Merrill to become certified Red Cross CPR instructors.

"I feel privileged to have contributed to this incredible program," said Christie. "It was inspiring to witness the dedication and enthusiasm of these young instructors as they worked tirelessly throughout the day.

Armed with their newfound skills, they set out to teach their peers and community members the fundamentals of CPR. But they took it a step further, reaching out to campus stakeholders to gain further support.

“We approached our university's division of Campus Community Safety, and they were able to help cover the cost of the certifications of the people who are going through our program,” said Tristan.

The model they established was cost-effective and scalable, relying on their student volunteer instructors and recycled equipment. In the last three months, the students have been able to teach Red Cross CPR classes to more than 130 people and have plans to increase that number next year. They are collecting feedback regularly to hone in on areas of improvement, and to learn more about why the program is succeeding.

“What we've learned is that many students who take our class and get CPR certified wouldn't have been able to do so if not for our program,” said Tristan. “And that is a huge selling point of what we're doing is because there are many barriers for people to access CPR training, in particular for students, whether it's financial reasons or even just geographic distance.”

As the program has expanded, so has its impact. Beyond providing lifesaving skills, Tristan says it has fostered a sense of community and empowerment among the Red Cross club members and the participants alike. Students not only learn how to respond to emergencies but have also gained confidence and leadership experience by teaching their peers.

“The other thing we've learned from feedback surveys is that students are feeling much more encouraged, after attending this training, to pursue further training — whether that be emergency medical services-related things or emergency preparedness or disaster preparedness,” said Tristan. Students feel more willing to pursue that training in the future, perhaps even maintain their CPR certifications beyond their graduation when they're not here on campus, and that's another thing that we're really happy about.”

As a CPR instructor, Christie is proud to see this program's success and potential capacity to expand beyond the UW campus.

"Their kindness, teamwork, and resourcefulness in finding a way to certify those who may have otherwise been unable to afford it truly exemplifies the Red Cross' mission," she said.

For Tristan, the journey has been overwhelmingly rewarding. His involvement in Emergency Medical Services and passion for emergency medicine have fueled his commitment to the cause. Through the Red Cross Club, he has found a platform to effect positive change and inspire others to do the same, ultimately building a safer and more prepared campus community.

MORE ABOUT RED CROSS CLUBS

A Red Cross Club is an extension of a local Red Cross region or Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) Station where youth are able to serve the community with friends. Along with training and leadership development opportunities, students can choose mission-related activities in their community, while delivering lifesaving services of the Red Cross. Students like Tristan plan and implement projects that can save hundreds of lives from blood drives to disaster preparedness education. Learn more about starting or participating in a Red Cross Club by clicking here.