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The Latrobe Area Hospital
Aid Society honors the
volunteer commitment of area
high school students by
awarding educational grants
annually to encourage
pursuit of health-related
careers.
Six high school seniors,
each with more than 200
hours of volunteer service
to Latrobe Area Hospital,
will share $10,000 in
scholarship funds in
2004.This year's recipients
are Melissa Criado, Ligonier
Valley; Jessica McKlveen,
Blairsville-Saltsburg, Megan
Casler, Eric Lloyd, Haren
Nayagan, and Alicia Smetak,
Greater Latrobe.
All of Melissa's volunteer
experience has been in
preparation for a medical
profession. A regular at the
hospital Information Desk,
the 17-year-old is part of
the American Red Cross
Disaster Team, most recently
helping to assess flood
damage last November. She
also assists the Red Cross
in teaching good hygiene to
elementary students through
the Grubby Bear program. A
Y-ME breast cancer support
group volunteer, Melissa has
been inspired by her
godmother, Maria Peluso, who
helps to coordinate
Latrobe's Relay For Life
event in June.
Having completed the Health
Assistant program at Eastern
Westmoreland Career and
Technology Center, Melissa
is trained as a nursing
assistant. Following the
lead of her mother, Suzanne
Pershing, who is a
registered nurse at
Westmoreland Regional
Hospital, Melissa plans to
pursue a general nursing
degree at Westmoreland
County Community College
before seeking specialized
training in critical care to
become a flight trauma
nurse.
"It combines the intensive
care of an ICU with the
urgency of an emergency
department," Melissa
explained. "You see the top
10 percent of the most
critical cases."
Like Melissa, Jessica
McKlveen of Blairsville has
immersed herself in health
sciences, winning prizes and
gaining invaluable
experience for a future in
medicine. President of the
LAH Medical Explorers Post
304, she is also the founder
of a medical careers club at
her school called Health
Care, In Your Hands, which
introduces members to
various health specialties.
Nominated for the National
Youth Leadership Forum on
Medicine, Jessica has
participated in
college-level mentoring at
St. Francis University and
IUP. The daughter of
Margaret Lowman also
attended the Pennsylvania
Governor's School for Health
Care.
For the past four years, the
17-year-old has volunteered
at Torrance State Hospital.
She added Latrobe Area
Hospital to her
extracurricular activities
in 10th grade. Assignments
have included the hospital's
family health center in
Blairsville, 3North and the
LAH Pharmacy. Accepted at
Mount St. Mary's College in
the pre-med program, Jessica
plans on becoming a
physician, although she has
yet to select an area of
specialization.
Megan Casler and Eric Lloyd
share an affinity for
rehabilitation. As a member
of the Greater Latrobe
swimming and diving team and
track and field team, Megan
discovered her interest in
sports therapy. The
17-year-old daughter of
Keith and Shirley Casler of
Latrobe plans to study
sports medicine at IUP. Her
volunteer experience at LAH
mirrors that of her
mother's: both work in the
Little Shop assisting
customers.
Eric will be attending
Slippery Rock University
where he will major in
exercise and rehabilitation
science. The 18-year-old son
of Doug and Renee Lloyd of
Latrobe zeroed in on
physical therapy after his
mother was injured and
required rehab. Like Megan,
Eric competes in track and
field and volunteers in the
Little Shop.
A love of medicine runs in
the family for 17-year-old
Haren Nayagan. His mother,
Gowri Arul, MD, is a
psychiatrist at Latrobe Area
Hospital. Although he is
unlikely to pursue a career
in mental health, the son of
Anton Nayagan of Unity
Township will be attending
the University of
Pennsylvania where he will
major in chemistry and
pre-med. Haren's volunteer
experience over the past
four years has been centered
at the Information Desk; he
also spent time in oncology.
Although few people would
say they love going to the
dentist, Alicia Smetak is
one of them. The 17-year-old
daughter of Dianna Marcinik
of Latrobe enjoys the
experience so much, she
intends to specialize in
dentistry. Volunteer
experience in Outpatient
Surgery, Transitional Care,
and the Little Shop, coupled
with education through the
Allied Health program at
Eastern Westmoreland Career
and Technology Center has
served to reinforce that
decision. Her greatest
challenge now will be
deciding among Albright
College, St. Francis, and
Slippery Rock universities
for her undergraduate
degree.
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