My name is Aaliyah Barragan. I am a junior at Silver High School, and I’ve been in Evolvement for about four months. On January 28, 2020 I had my very first principal meeting.

I was so nervous that I had butterflies! I video-chatted with the campaign manager to prepare for the meeting, and she was very helpful. She covered important talking points that I should go over. I also wrote a little script that I memorized so I could be prepared and not feel all over the place. I wanted to meet with my principal to educate him on the 24/7 campaign and to rally for his support to sign a pledge card and commit to making our school tobacco-free.

The meeting went really great! I told him this was my first meeting, and he calmed me down by saying, “You don’t need to be nervous, you’re going to do great, so take your time!” After our meeting I felt empowered. I had so much confidence that I did something great!

What I learned from this meeting is that you shouldn’t to be afraid to join a movement, to make a change, even if it is hard work. It really does make you feel good and the work is worth it! This can help my school become a great role model. I really hope my school follows through and gets more involved in order to help us become healthier.

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