Courtesy of SODA Club

SODA officers display their poster during the last Club.

Last April, the streets of downtown San Jose buzzed with music as crowds flowed from booth to booth at the South First Area (SoFa) street fair — an outdoor festival featuring community arts and performances. 

Amid the chaos, Malavika Nair and Kara Nikfar set up at a table to promote Student Organ Donation Advocates (SODA), handing out pens and stickers to passing visitors while encouraging passersby to learn more about the club and its mission. 

SODA is a national nonprofit organization focused on increasing awareness of organ donation through student-led education and advocacy. SODA aims to reduce the organ donation shortage in the U.S. by educating students about different organ functions, encouraging them to pursue careers in medicine and helping them register to become organ, eye or tissue donors. 

The school’s chapter is led by president Malavika, vice president Nikfar, secretary Ria Abraham, treasurer Devika Nair and event coordinator Ramila Pourshafie, all juniors. They established the club late last year.

 “When we first heard about SODA, we realized lots of students have misconceptions, especially high schoolers who are getting their driver’s licenses and have the opportunity to sign up,” Devika said. “We felt like it was the perfect time to teach more people about organ donation.”

Among misunderstandings, Devika rejected the notion that doctors deliberately will not work as hard to save someone who is an organ donor if they’re in an accident or are otherwise fighting for their life. Other misconceptions include that a person can be too young or unhealthy to donate and that organ donation prevents open-casket funerals. 

She added: “While not everyone in the club has direct personal experience with organ donation, many of us are motivated by stories of people who wait years for transplants or never receive one. I personally was inspired after hearing a story from one of my brother’s friends, whose father was a recipient.”

Since the club’s founding, the officers have hosted regular meetings and tabling events like SoFa, where they hope to increase the number of registered donors with their student-led initiatives. 

Around 20 members attend the club’s biweekly lunch meetings every Red Day Friday in the room of their adviser, English teacher Marcos Cortez. During meetings, officers discuss important details about the donation process and present information on different organs. They have also made posters and played games to help teach more about these topics and make learning interactive.

Looking ahead, the officers plan for club members to contribute in hosting more tabling events, awareness campaigns and community outreach outside of regular meetings. They also plan on bringing in a guest speaker: Ginny Nayer, an alumna from Lynbrook High who is an ambassador for the nonprofit organization Donate Life. She will talk about her personal experience with kidney donation.

“These events are a big part of spreading awareness, and the goal is to make organ donation an accessible topic,” Devika said. “Together, we educate people our age about a topic that is so important yet rarely talked about.”