JONATHAN YOUNG/Daily Bruin Brian Copenhaver,
provost of the College of Letters and Sciences, presents the Young
Humanitarian Award to three UCLA students.
By Christian Mignot
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected]
The Charles E. Young Humanitarian Award was presented Wednesday
afternoon to three recipients in recognition of their efforts in
community service.
Esther Melamed, Gauree Gupta and Yolandra Evette Hancock were
each rewarded for their outstanding leadership and commitment to
community programs in areas related to medicine and the
disabled.
College of Letters and Sciences Provost Brian Copenhaver
presented each awardee with certificates and $500 gift sums.
Gauree Gupta, a fifth-year microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics student, was rewarded for her efforts as
co-director of the UCLA chapter of Best Buddies, which provides
community outreach for individuals with developmental
disabilities.
The program is designed to establish close friendships between
the mentally disabled participants and UCLA volunteers in order to
develop the interests of participants and expose them to new
experiences.
This year, Gupta planned several events, such as trips to UCLA
football games, a Buddy Olympics, a formal dance and even a
road-trip to Las Vegas.
“These people lead very sheltered and withdrawn lives, so
they have never had the chance to do things that we may consider
little such as riding in a car at night,” she said.
“I am happy to see the difference that our efforts make in
their lives,” she added.
Esther Melamed, a first-year graduate student in medicine,
presides over Library Interpreting Caretaking, an organization
which provides translating services in more than 30 languages for
medical patients.
LINC helps break down cultural barriers between patients and
doctors, as well as providing practical experience for students
interested in pursuing medicine.
Melamed founded the service during the summer of 1998.
“It’s been great to see the program grow from 30 to
100 volunteers,” she said. “I am honored to have
received this reward, but it would not have been possible without
the help of all the faculty, staff and students.”
Melamed also directed the development of a course for
undergraduates entitled “Cultural Aspects of Medicine,”
which discussed cultural and language barriers encountered by
patients when receiving medical services.
Yolandra Evette Hancock, a fourth-year graduate student in
medicine, received the Humanitarian Award for her extensive
involvement with the Tom Bradley Continuity of Instruction to
Reinforce our Children’s Learning Environment.
CIRCLE provides programs and services that encourage and help
students in the Crenshaw School District to achieve their goals in
pursuit of careers in medicine.
After two years teaching at a Watts elementary school, Hancock
returned to UCLA in 1998 to complete her M.D., and became involved
in running programs for CIRCLE.
“I’m very happy to have received the award,”
she said. “Most dedicated participants do service because
they want to, so its always a nice surprise to receive awards such
as this.”
A committee of staff, students and faculty selected the
recipients based on applications that each submitted.
Zoila Delapena, the Humanitarian Award coordinator, said the
award recognizes all students who are involved in community
service.
“We can only give the award to three people,” she
said, “but all students involved in service are invited to
attend the ceremony and be honored.”