PIPs for School Scholar: Dawn Lugo
Dawn Lugo is a sophomore at Long Island University Brooklyn, studying to become a nurse — a dream of hers since early high school. “I feel that nowadays a college degree is a must,” she elaborates. “It will create a foundation for my entire career, my lifestyle, my work ethic, and decisions I make in the future.”
Outside the classroom, Dawn is an impassioned volunteer. “Reaching out to communities and providing resources, care, and help to those who may be overlooked or in need” is what inspires her. She has volunteered with local political campaigns, at a senior center — and for the past six years — for RIVER FUND NY, the poverty-fighting organization based in Queens which serves as a PIPs for School (P4S) Scholars Host Partner. She is also a member of her school’s Nursing Student Association and the National Honor Society.
Dawn describes her dream to be a nurse and her passion for volunteering in this way: “My life goal is to raise awareness…about organizations such as the RIVER FUND that will help millions of families, and…to provide pristine healthcare to all, especially underserved communities.”
Dawn was one of the first students to join the P4S Scholars cohort at the RIVER FUND NY in June 2021, and one of the first to take enough PIPs-worthy actions to earn a $1,000 grant, the largest grant a Scholar can receive in a year. She was also a quick study, explaining that “it’s on an app, so it was more accessible to me.”
As an avid volunteer, Dawn relishes clocking in her volunteer hours on the PIPs App, as it has helped her to see how much she gives back to hercommunity. “Ever since the PIPs program came, I’ve been able to see…that I’m clocking in every Saturday. It’s just nice to realize…oh, I’m being rewarded for it…which, you know, just makes me more aware than I am making an impact.”
Dawn values being a P4S Scholar and the cycle of good it encourages. As only a nurse-in-training could put it, she describes the “muscle memory” that comes from continuous engagement in actions that deliver positive impact to one’s community and the environment.
Profiled prepared by Mikayla Zeitlin
Communications & Marketing Manager, PIPs Rewards LLC
March 31, 2022
