Parker students raise more than $33,348 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

United by the goal to make an impact on the fight against cancer, Parker juniors Umit Suri and Noa MacDonald together with a team of fellow students raised more than $33,348 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Their efforts were part of the society’s annual Student of the Year campaign—an intensive seven-week fundraising competition. Although their team, “We Believe,” was only $3,000 away from raising the most money in San Diego, Umit and Noa say the best part of the experience was building meaningful relationships within their community.

Both Umit and Noa know a family member or a close friend affected by cancer. Umit, who has been participating in the Student of the Year campaign for the past five years, says the memory of losing his childhood friend to Hodgkin’s disease is what drives him to this work. After seeing his sister, Hershey Suri ’17, named the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s San Diego Student of the Year in 2015, Umit has gone on to raise more than $101,000 for cancer research.

“I wanted to continue what my sister started and carry forth that passion for making a difference in the lives of others,” says Umit.

For Noa, who works as an intern at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, the personal connection to the cause came after learning the Altman Lab receives funding from the LLS.

“Seeing first-hand scientists working to finding a cure for diseases and knowing that the dollars I raise will go toward their research really inspires me,” says Noa.

In January, team “We Believe” kicked off their seven-week campaign working with local businesses and organizations to help them reach their fundraising goal. Through email, social media, and video campaigns, the students were able to partner with a local boba tea shop to donate its proceeds to the cause.

“Working as a team, sharing ideas, and utilizing each other’s networks is what helped us raise the amount that we did,” says Umit.

For the 2019 San Diego Chapter of the Student of the Year campaign, Parker’s team along with 13 other high school teams collectively raised $284,000, which contributed to the $5 million raised nationally.

With sights set on participating in next year’s campaign, the future seniors look forward to getting an early start building on the successes of this year’s competition.