TUSTIN : Future Lawyer Likes Helping at Hospital

Two years ago, when she turned 14, Bridget Black began spending at least four hours a week as volunteer at the pediatric ward of Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. She says she likes to hold babies and be around people she can help.

That dedication has translated into 500 hours of volunteer work so far, and Black said she expects to spend the next two years doing more of the same.

“It’s weird because I don’t want to be a nurse or doctor,” said Black, who will be a junior at Tustin High School in the fall. “I want to be a lawyer. But I always love challenges and being here is a challenge.”

The teen-ager’s Girl Scout troop honored her recently with a Gold Medal award for her volunteer work at the hospital and for an AIDS awareness project she did in April. The Tustin Unified School District also recognized her efforts with an achievement award last month.

While many of her friends go to parties and do other “fun stuff,” Black said she’d rather be in a hospital holding a sick child or visiting an elderly person in a nursing home. All this while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average.

“I don’t know exactly what it is that drives me,” she said. “But I just love helping people.”

Five years ago, Black said her mother, Barbara, 49, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The disease is now in remission, but the experience taught her to be more compassionate and encouraged her to do volunteer work, she said.

Last Easter, she solicited money from local businesses, made 20 holiday bags for AIDS patients and donated them to the AIDS Services Foundation of Orange County. In addition, she handed out flyers on AIDS awareness at school and other places.

“It was hard, but I learned a lot about AIDS,” she said.

Barbara Anabo, manager of volunteer services at Western Medical Center, said the hospital accepts about 90 high school volunteers each year. There are also about 100 college students and 250 adults in the program, she said.

“They provide an extra hand,” said Liz Roberts, head nurse at the pediatric ward. “They run errands for us, such as stocking supplies or making copies of medical records.”

During her shift last week, Black played for an hour with 4-year-old Rocio Mejia of Anaheim who was hospitalized with a severe knee infection. Later, she cheered up Tamica Lamb, 10, of Santa Ana, who was hospitalized with kidney problems.

Then, it was on to stocking diapers, bottles and formula at the storeroom.

“In the seventh-grade, I started setting goals,” Black said. “I’m doing exactly what I planned to do. This is another step in my goals for the future.”