He started working at the Red Cross at age 14, cleaning CPR mannequins as part of his high school's community service requirement. Eight years later, Navin Narayan '99 has ascended the ranks of the American Red Cross to become its youngest national committee chair ever.

Narayan was appointed chair of the organization's National Advisory Committee on Youth Involvement, one of the Red Cross' three major committees.

Narayan will also serve on the Resolutions Committee, which makes policy recommendations to the Red cross' governing board.

In his new capacity, Narayan will serve as an advisor to red cross President Elizabeth H. Dole.

"I fell in love with [the Red Cross]," said Narayan, who is a premedical social studies concentrator living in Adams House. "My main interest in life is merging health with human rights."

"I'm very excited for him," said the woman Narayan described as his mentor, Dr. Pamela J. Frable, director of the Terrence County, Texas chapter of the Red Cross. "I think this is great for our organization."

Narayan, who began at the Red Cross doing custodial and office work, now teaches human rights law on their behalf, dealing with the rules for treating civilians in war. He has also represented the Red Cross at the United Nations.

But Narayan stressed the importance of local involvement. Even in the face of national leadership, and he still volunteers at the Massachusetts Bay chapter.

"He's very bright," Frable said, "but I think his most outstanding quality is his great empathy and compassion for people. He can shake hands with Elizabeth Dole, and then he can go out to a fire and help people--someone who's illiterate and lost their home."

Narayan's committee will advise the Red Cross on ways to increase youth involvement. He said he hopes to raise the number of young people involved in the Red Cross from 100,000 to 5000,000.

"The neat thing about this latest appointment," Frable said, "is that he really has this dream about young people in the Red Cross... We told him what it would take and he actual- ly did the work."

Narayan rose up through the Red Cross duringhis high school years, first teaching a paramedicclass and later serving as a disaster volunteer.

But at 17, Narayan was diagnosed with cancer, arare sarcoma in his sinuses. It was then that theyoung volunteer, by that time serving on his RedCross chapter's board of directors, was selectedas the keynote speaker at the organization'snational convention.

Narayan called his introduction to the nationalstructure of the Red Cross a turning point forhim, both in his volunteering and in his sickness.

"Important events give you momentum in lifewhen you need it," Narayan said.

During his senior year in high school, hejoined the youth committee, which Narayan nowchairs, a role which he called "daunting."

"I like to keep one chair that's empty, thatrepresents those people who we represent as acommittee.