By Emily Bartlett, American Red Cross volunteer

Jaelynn Nguyen thinks of herself as an average teenager. She loves the reality competition Survivor, tries to walk 10,000 steps a day, and is looking forward to attending college next year. But the 18-year-old Orange County native is always looking for ways to pursue her passion and personal development. An important part of that journey has been an increasing level of responsibility as an American Red Cross youth volunteer.

Nguyen is a senior at Costa Mesa high school and current Youth Advisory Council Chair for the Red Cross Orange County Board of Officers. In this role, she helps to encourage other people her age to get involved in volunteering, education, and community-building and represents Orange County’s young Red Cross volunteers within the organization.

“The environment working in the Red Cross has taught me that I enjoy working with people and I like seeing them grow into better versions of themselves. Seeing the impact that we can have on each other is what makes me want to stay.”

Jaelynn’s involvement with the Red Cross began during COVID lockdown, when she was invited to participate in an online camp. GLOW Red, a youth-led four-day camp where high schoolers gather to develop character and leadership skills, is traditionally in-person, but was completely virtual in 2020. At first, it was challenging to come out of her shell and engage with people she had never met before, but Jaelynn decided to use this as an opportunity to try something new during an isolating time.

The risk paid off. “I really felt so amazed that these teenagers who were just a few years older than me were working so hard to make an unforgettable experience over Zoom for a whole week,” she explains. “I was inspired to have that kind of work ethic, too. So I became part of the Red Cross youth fundraising committee, which planned fundraisers over Zoom, and only online (at that time). So it was pretty hard, but that challenge really pushed me to try to come up with new ideas.”

Over the past few years, Jaelynn has found within herself more ideas, energy, and inspiration than she could have first imagined. She returned to GLOW Red as a staffer, this time in person. “That was the most life-changing experience I’ve had, going to a camp in person and being a leader there for someone I’ve never seen before,” she says.

“The primary focus of GLOW Red is to help shape all the delegates into amazing leaders through various team-building activities, individual activities, and deep discussions in a welcoming environment that allows for a chance to foster relationships. On the last day of camp, we encourage them to apply for the OCRC Youth Leadership team, which has 6 sub-committees.”

These groups work to brainstorm ideas for and help to execute events like fundraisers, Raid Cross, a role-playing simulation activity that helps students understand the basic rules of International Humanitarian Law, and Sound the Alarm, a free smoke alarm installation and home fire education campaign for the community.

In 2022-23, Jaelynn became the committee’s vice chair, working on events and other committees, and subsequently was appointed president of this year’s team. She also took on more responsibility in training new staff at GLOW Red. “It’s a lot of work, especially while in school and applying to college,” she says. “But if I can’t show that I’m putting in work and being a good role model to our leadership members, then no one’s going to put in their 1000%, and we won't be able to showcase our events for the county as beautifully as we could.”

Jaelynn feels her experiences volunteering with the Red Cross are helping her to develop into the leader, and the person, that she wants to be. “I have a lot of ways I still want to grow,” she says. She’s interested in learning more about psychology and technology, and would like to pursue a career where she can help other people find similar opportunities.

Participating in an organization like the Red Cross isn’t just about volunteer hours and looking good on college applications, Jaelynn says. It’s about empowerment and living up to your potential. She wants other young people to know that “anyone can be a part of the team and (actually) save lives.”

There are many ways for youth to be involved and support the mission of the American Red Cross. Click here to learn more about youth volunteer opportunities in Southern California.