“Southern California is my home, and I know it is home to others within the program,” UNLV student Kayla Oseguera wrote to Elizabeth Gardner, School of Nursing student services director. “I understand this is not our local community, however, many families have been impacted by the Palisades Fire.”
The Palisades and Eaton fires scorched over 37,000 acres of land in Los Angeles County, leaving thousands of residents displaced and taking 29 lives. People from all over the country sought out ways to help those affected.
“I thought to myself, ‘How can I help? How can I contribute?’” Oseguera said. “I didn't want to just go to the store, buy something, and give it to a donation center. It just didn't feel like enough. I felt like there was a larger impact that I could make. It was just a matter of how.”
Gardner connected the first-year student with the UNLV Nursing Student Government, and within a matter of days, a team of nursing students quickly responded and assembled to organize a donation drive. They collectively did what nurses do best: care for their communities.
Caryn Ramsey, Nursing Student Government president, rallied her fellow students to help. Ramsey, Oseguera, and nursing students Jillian Balceta and Ahmed Saleh became the core organizers of this initiative.
“I knew that if I asked for help, the right people would step forward, and they did,” Ramsey said. “If we were going to make a meaningful impact, we had to act fast and efficiently.”
For Oseguera, starting within her school community felt right. She had started the Direct-Entry Generalist Masters of Science in Nursing program just one week prior to the fires breaking out, but she already felt she could turn to her school for help.
“UNLV is such a supporting community, especially with the School of Nursing. And I felt that was my best bet, what I was most comfortable with. And UNLV showed up.”
The students organized the first Wildfire Relief Donation drive on Jan. 18 at UNLV’s Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas. They identified essential items needed by those affected by the fires and hoped to provide support for individuals, families, and first responders. They accepted monetary donations, nonperishable food, hygiene supplies, clothing, and other basic necessities.
Students from pre-requisite radiology classes and graduate and undergraduate students from various disciplines also joined in on this effort, giving their time and resources to help those in need.
“What made this effort truly exceptional was the seamless collaboration between students, faculty, and staff, which created a bond of unity and purpose,” Ramsey said. “The School of Dental Medicine, led by Nathan Kent, provided hundreds of dental hygiene kits that were put together in a matter of days. The School of Nursing, our own department, contributed hundreds of KN95 masks to protect those impacted by poor air quality. Partners like the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNLV showed up by the dozens, donating items of all kinds and demonstrating their commitment to supporting the cause.”
As donations poured in, it became clear that space may pose a potential issue. Allister Dias, CSUN president, organized a meeting and rallied faculty support for their mission. This resulted in immediate offers of assistance: ranging from securing storage space at the simulation center to providing volunteers who organized and palletized the donated items.
The first donation drive collected more than 10 pallets of donations. A second donation drive on campus on Jan. 24 brought in an additional five pallets of donations.
Nearly 30 volunteers helped with the donation drive efforts on both days, comprising of nursing, dental, and medicine students, as well as community organizations and general members of the public. In total, the donation drive collected 15 pallets of items.
UNLV Delivery Services helped store the donations safely on campus until the drop-off day on Jan. 30.
Oseguera, Ramsey, Gardner, Nakia Jackson-Hale, Nursing’s assistant dean of administration, outreach, and engagement, and her husband drove the donations to the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA, which has served as a safe space for families affected by the fires to gather, find support, and access vital services.
“The moment we arrived in East LA to drop off the donations, I was struck by the overwhelming sense of connection and gratitude that filled the air,” Ramsey said. “While I didn't see the many faces of the individuals who would directly benefit, I felt a deep sense of solidarity with the local volunteers who were there to help.”
The group handed the YMCA six pallets of food, water, and hygiene supplies. Due to abundant clothing donations in California, eight pallets of clothing were donated to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.
“As our communities in Los Angeles work tirelessly to recover from the devastating fires, support from institutions like UNLV and partners beyond L.A. County is not just welcome — it’s essential,” said Brenda Hernandez, executive director of the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA. “Disasters of this scale don’t recognize city or county lines. The impact ripples across regions, affecting families, economies, and futures. That’s why solidarity from outside our immediate area holds so much power.
“The road to recovery is long, but when organizations like UNLV step up to help, they strengthen the very foundation of our mission: to provide access, equity, and opportunities for all."
