Shortly after Michelle Mahanian began volunteering at the UCLA Medical Center in 2002, she noticed that patients tended to become depressed as a result of long-term hospitalization. ‘There is basically nothing for them to do except watch TV reruns,’ said Mahanian, who graduated from Palisades Charter High School in 2005. Since patients have a better chance of healing if they have a positive disposition, she started a program called Music to Heal in 2004. Mahanian, who plays the flute and piano, recruited fellow students from PaliHi to perform for chronically ill patients. When she started college at UCLA in fall 2005, Mahanian kept the program going by bringing aboard UCLA students and other musicians from around L.A. Her organization now has more than 100 volunteers serving UCLA Medical Center. On Sunday, June 7, Mahanian will receive the first Gilbert Award at the inaugural Pali Spirit Award dinner at the Sheraton Delfina hotel in Santa Monica. PaliHi English teacher Rose Gilbert has established the annual award to acknowledge outstanding alumni who have demonstrated humanitarian values. Gilbert, 90 and still teaching, will also be recognized on Sunday with the Pali Spirit Award for donating $2 million toward the construction of the Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center, which should be complete by early 2010. This new award will be given annually to those who have made a positive contribution to PaliHi. Mahanian took two advanced placement English classes from Gilbert, who recalls that ‘Michelle was always enthusiastic and full of spirit; she was spunky.’ A native of Brentwood, Mahanian took a total of 10 advanced placement classes at PaliHi. In the summer before college, she wrote a study guidebook, ‘The Smarty Pants Guide to the AP Environmental Science Exam.’ She has since sold 3,000 copies nationwide through Amazon and various bookstores. This month, Mahanian will graduate summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA. Her entire schooling was paid for through UCLA’s Regent Scholarship and Alumni Association Scholarship programs. Mahanian, 21, majored in neuroscience and conducted research on Alzheimer’s disease, co-authoring five research papers for various scientific journals on the subject. She belongs to a team that is developing a diagnostic blood test for detecting early signs of Alzheimer’s. Last year, she received a $10,000 scholarship from the Donald A. Strauss Foundation and the UCLA Medical Center for her volunteer work with Music to Heal. ‘Instead of using it for myself, I dedicated the entire scholarship to establishing the Music Enrichment Program at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital,’ Mahanian said. With the money, she purchased a wide array of musical instruments for the children’s playrooms and installed a recording studio. ‘They can record CDs and make their own music,’ Mahanian said, adding that Music to Heal volunteers give music lessons to the children. Mahanian wanted to start the program so that children who are often unable to attend school can develop and heal through music. ‘They gain musical skills while they are there, which they can use for the rest of their lives,’ said Mahanian, whose parents Jacqueline and Albert work in real estate. Her brother, Robert, owns a marketing firm and her sister, Nicole, is a freshman at UCLA. Although Mahanian was admitted to four other medical schools, she plans to stay at UCLA, where she received a four-year, full-tuition merit scholarship. She hasn’t chosen her medical specialty yet, but is passionate about the field given that it combines all of her interests: writing, researching and helping people. Mahanian is grateful that Gilbert selected her for the award. ‘She is really my role model,’ Mahanian said. ‘She has contributed so much to her students, UCLA [also Gilbert’s alma mater] and the community. It means so much to me. I love her.’ To attend Sunday’s dinner, contact Jeanne Goldsmith at (310) 454-9033. Tickets are $150. Donations on behalf of the pool can be sent to PaliHi’s Chief Business Officer Greg Wood at P.O. Box 1011, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
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