Student, 17, Honored as Volunteer Reader

When elderly patients at the Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo forget their glasses, Priya Mahajan reads to them.

Nurses need only ask and the 17-year-old Capistrano Valley High School senior will be there to help.

“Over the years I have found the right words to say to offer comfort to patients,” Mahajan said.

For this dedication and more than 1,000 hours of volunteer work since 1994, Mahajan received the Spirit of Volunteerism award from the Volunteer Center of Greater Orange County.

Teacher Laura Little nominated the teenager. Mahajan, also president of the student volunteer program at the hospital, was awarded a $1,000 check last week at the Capistrano Unified School District board meeting.