Shelton School Graduate Shayna Goldfine is a True Blood Savior

2013 Jul 23

Shelton School graduate Shayna Goldfine of Dallas, TX, was recently recognized by the American Red Cross for doing her part to help save lives by bringing in blood. She was honored for organizing blood drives at Ithaca (NY) College, from which she graduated in May with a degree in health sciences.

Goldfine served for four years as co-president of Ithaca College's Red Cross Club, an organization dedicated to planning blood drives and encouraging students, faculty and staff to participate in them. Her efforts routinely resulted in drives that drew over 200 donors.

One of Goldfine's goals as president was to expand the club's presence at the college and make the Red Cross's mission a part of campus culture. While it was difficult to plan blood drives around volunteers' schedules and coordinate times to train them, she said the most rewarding part of her work was seeing how excited students got about donating.

"I've had so many people ask when the next drive is or get upset when they had too many classes the day of a drive and didn't have time to donate. It really was incredible to see the compassion the students have."

Among some 100 colleges and universities in the Red Cross's New York-Penn region, Ithaca College's donor participation rate is double the 6 percent average. Goldfine was among those honored when Red Cross representatives traveled to campus to present college officials with a plaque recognizing the success of the blood donation program.

In addition to her work on campus, Goldfine held a summer internship with the Ithaca chapter of the Red Cross and taught CPR courses.

Goldfine's dedication to the Red Cross began when she was 16. After her summer camp flooded, 600 campers and staff had to be relocated to a nearby gym. The Red Cross saved the day by bringing in blankets and food for everybody, and she got to see for the first time the efforts of the organization that would later have a huge impact on her college career.

"It was just amazing that in an afternoon they were able to house and feed 600 of us," said Goldfine. "It's an experience I'll never forget and look back on with good memories."

Goldfine has continued to volunteer with the Red Cross following her graduation and is currently working as a paramedic. She plans to get a master's degree in public health and disaster management with a possible term in the Peace Corps.

From day one, Ithaca College prepares students for personal and professional success through hands-on experience with internships, research and study abroad. Its integrative curriculum builds bridges across disciplines and uniquely blends liberal arts and professional study. Located in New York's Finger Lakes region, the College is home to 6,100 undergraduate and 400 graduate students and offers over 100 degree programs in its schools of Business, Communications, Humanities and Sciences, Health Science and Human Performance, and Music.