Barry Tech student from Freeport organizes successful blood drive

A Nassau BOCES Joseph M. Barry Tech Career and Technical Education High School student from Freeport helped organize and recruit volunteers for a successful blood drive that is expected to save many lives.

Students at Barry Tech, in New Cassel recently participated in a service learning project by organizing a blood drive in December.

Held twice a year, the blood drive is open only to students and employees of Nassau BOCES. A tradition at the school for at least the last 20 years, the event is run by the medical assistant class and is organized in part by lead medical assistant teacher Karen McLean. 

“We’re currently facing a national blood shortage, so it’s really important that we get blood,” McLean said. “It ends up helping a lot of people. The criteria is like one out of every 10 people are going to need blood at some point. So, it really is a lifesaving community service effort.”

In addition to the school’s academic programs and classes, Barry Tech has a strong commitment to service learning and community service for its students. Each class at the school is required to participate in a service learning project, which allows students to apply their skills and knowledge to real-world situations and make a positive impact in their community. 

Each class is given the opportunity to choose a project that aligns with their interests and skills. The medical assistant class, for example, has chosen to lead the organization of the blood drive. As a result of their participation in the blood drive, students are given two hours of community service, while students in the medical assistant class receive 30 hours of community service due to the ongoing nature of the project. 

“The blood drive is a major undertaking, and we are extremely grateful to all those who helped to support it,” said William Poll, Barry Tech associate principal. “These individuals not only helped their community, they helped to save lives.”

Kiara Hernandez, a student from the Freeport area and her classmates organized the successful blood drive on behalf of the New York Blood Center, collecting a total of 158 pints of blood. Their effort is expected to save nearly 500 lives. Hernandez, studying medical assisting at Barry Tech, was instrumental in promoting awareness, recruiting volunteers, and ensuring the smooth operation of the drive. 

Hernandez is currently a senior in high school with an interested in pursuing a career in nursing after being inspired by her mother. 

“When I was younger, I would always go to work with her,” said Hernandez. “I saw how she would take care of the patients and how dedicated she was to help save lives. And that’s when I knew I wanted to become a nurse.”

Hernandez is scheduled to enroll at Molloy College in the fall on a full academic scholarship to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. She has found the experience of participating in the blood drive program to be valuable and has gained useful skills that will be beneficial to her future career in the healthcare field.

“During Covid, I didn’t really know if I wanted to be in the health care system, because of all the problems that were arising,” Hernandez said. “I was scared at first, but coming to BOCES helped me realize that I really did want to become a nurse.”

The blood drive event not only helps alleviate the national blood shortage and potentially save three lives per donation, it also serves as an introduction to blood donation for students and helps to alleviate any fears they may have about the process.

“It’s a way to introduce students to becoming blood donors and to kind of take away that fear as a first introduction,” said Theresa Schaefer-Bell, Information Specialist at Nassau BOCES. “I think we hope that they become lifelong blood donors because of this.”

The school’s staff and administration played a crucial role in coordinating and supervising the event by providing support and assistance to the students who were organizing the blood drive. McLean emphasized that donating blood can have a positive impact on overall health, including reducing the risk of cancer and helping to prevent blood clots. 

“Donating blood can become a positive habit for people, especially if they start at a young age,” McLean said. 

Hernandez’s participation in the blood drive and service learning program at Barry Tech have provided her with valuable learning experiences and the opportunity to give back to her community.