2010 Student Volunteer of the Year: Elizabeth Naameh, Greater Riverside Dollars for Scholars

Board Chair Mim Schreck (left) and President Lauren Segal (right) with Elizabeth at the 2010 Scholarship America Annual Meeting

Ever since she can remember, Elizabeth Naameh has always enjoyed volunteering. Rarely would you find another student that was so active in her school, church and community. During her years spent at La Sierra High School in Riverside, Calif., Elizabeth participated in service projects through St. Joseph Church Maronite Youth Organization; served on the Riverside Youth Council; served as a high school math tutor; planted trees through Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful, volunteered with the Riverside Dickens Festival; served as a 12th Grade Representative for the California Scholarship Federation, and participated in service projects as a member of National Honor Society.

But it wasn’t until she started volunteering at local hospitals through the Kids First Association that she really started to understand the power of helping others. While helping out in the cancer ward at a local children’s hospital, Elizabeth met a child with leukemia who truly changed her life.

“Watching the way that my presence affected her and watching her resilient spirit gave me more and more faith in human beings,” Elizabeth said. “No matter how much negative stuff you hear on the news, there are always people that are positive influences in the community and that are making a huge difference in the world. I want to be one of these people.”

It was then that Elizabeth decided she wanted to become a pediatrician. But without the help of scholarships, it would be extremely difficult for Elizabeth to attend her dream school of UCLA without graduating with a lot of student debt. She began applying for as many scholarships as possible, including the Community Volunteer Service Award offered by Dollars for Scholars. After winning the $500 regional scholarship, Elizabeth was automatically entered in the national competition. Each regional CVSA winner competed for the top award of Volunteer of the Year, a $6,000 scholarship made possible through Scholarship America’s participation in Best Buy’s @ 15 Exchange program.

When Elizabeth found out she was named Volunteer of the Year by Dollars for Scholars National office, she was ecstatic.

“I feel so honored to receive this scholarship. In a time like this when the economy is in a crisis and it’s been an increasingly competitive job market, having a college education is essential. Scholarship America makes such a huge impact on students everywhere—within my own community I’ve seen the way that our Dollars for Scholars chapter has helped so many students pay for college. It makes me feel so proud that they are recognizing me. The scholarship is extremely generous and I am so, so happy.”

Thanks in part to her scholarship from Scholarship America, Elizabeth began attending UCLA in Fall 2010. She hopes to eventually earn a Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School and become a pediatrician.

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