During this year’s fall blood drive, North High students hosted the second-ever student-led bone marrow registry drive in the state, becoming a part of the growing student-driven movement to increase life-saving marrow donations.
The initiative began after students Bryan Cheng, Austin Jin and Ellen Zhang at South High founded Project: Life, a student-led nonprofit focused on educating young people about bone marrow donation and supporting the Gift of Life registry. Their student-led drive earlier this school year became the first of its kind in the state, inspiring North High students to launch their own chapter and continue the good work..
“As a teen myself, I know the best way to connect with teens is through other teens,” Ellen Zhang, South High senior and Project: Life co-founder, said. “That’s why my partners and I founded Project: Life International to break the stigma around the bone marrow transplant process and increase awareness of leukemia and other blood cancers.”
Gift of Life is the largest marrow registry in the country, emphasizing the need for donors ages 17–35, who are most likely to be successful matches for patients battling blood cancers and other life-threatening diseases. Despite the life-saving potential of marrow transplants, the national registry remains underrepresented in many demographic groups, leaving some patients with a very small chance of finding a compatible donor.
To address this gap, North High student volunteers prepared informational materials and worked alongside Gift of Life representatives to host the drive, ensuring the process was accessible and easy for first-time participants. North High students, Daniel Davidson, Keshin Huang, and Chandra Lin, staffed tables during the blood drive, explained the basics of marrow donation, and guided peers through the simple cheek swab required to join the registry.
“A lot of students didn’t realize how easy it was to register and that if they did match, there would be no pressure to donate,” student organizer Keshin Huang said. “We were able to get many students and teachers who were coming to donate blood to swab too.”
The timing of the event during the fall blood drive helped increase awareness and participation. Students and Teachers who swabbed were also entered into a raffle, further incentivizing swabs. Many swabbed while waiting to get their blood drawn due to swabbing taking less than five minutes.
The goal was also to educate, as student organizers handed out informational materials on the marrow registry. The Project: Life Instagram has already reached over two thousand followers with over three hundred thirty thousand monthly views. There are currently eighteen chapters worldwide, with hopes to expand to reach the 3.9 million seniors in the United States eligible to register.
“Why wouldn’t I swab?” senior Sophia Li said. “It only took me a few minutes and could potentially save someone’s life.”
The drive also highlighted the growing role of students in public health advocacy. What began as a single initiative at a neighboring school has quickly expanded into a global effort led by teenagers committed to creating meaningful change in their communities. By launching its own Project: Life chapter and hosting the drive, North High has joined a movement that has the potential to grow the registry significantly in the coming years.
North High’s hosting of the state’s second-ever student-led bone marrow registry drive provides hope for many who rely on marrow transplants by finding donors and educating youth. With continued student leadership, community engagement, and support from organizations like Gift of Life, the impact of these efforts may extend beyond the school and into the lives of patients.
