Hospital Foundation Awards Scholarships To Arlington Heights Students

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Three local student volunteers will be receiving $500 scholarships from the Northwest Community Hospital Foundation. It marks the third year of the recognition.

According to officials, the Nana's Joy Award is funded by an anonymous donor and recognizes the efforts of students who "dedicate their time and support to NCH patients, visitors and staff."

This year's recipients are:

• Jenice Ryoo – A volunteer at two locations in the hospital: Main Entrance and Pediatric Acute Care Center. Ryoo is a junior at Rolling Meadow High School and plans to pursue a career in the medical field. She volunteered a total of 187.50 hours in 2023.
• Megan Trajano – A Main Entrance volunteer and senior at John Hersey High School. Trajano plans to pursue a career in nursing. She volunteered for 159.25 hours in 2023 and says the role helped herimprove her communication skills.
• Michelle Carbajal Hernandez – A Main Entrance volunteer and recent graduate of Prospect High School. Carbajal is attending Northern Illinois University, where she is pursuing a career as a clinical psychologist and is on track to complete her undergraduate degree in three years. She volunteered for 128.25 hours in 2023 and has requested to return to volunteering on the weekends.

The anonymous donor created the scholarship in 2021 to honor his mother and named it for two things that brought joy to her life — children and helping others through volunteerism.

"My mother always felt it important that if you had any good fortune in your life, that you should give back. She did not have much in terms of financial resources but would volunteer her time," the donor said. “Following her advice, I personally have received much joy and friendships from volunteering.

Award recipients must have given at least 100 hours in that year and volunteered consistently during that time.

According to NCH, 108 students made up 14 percent of all volunteer hours at NCH, which translates into 5,428 hours total.

For more information about volunteering at NCH, visit https://www.nch.org/volunteer/high-school-program/. For more information about contributing to the NCH Foundation, visit www.nch.org/foundation/