Hello, my name is Aracely, and I am a senior at Valencia High School in Los Lunas. I have been in Evolvement for two years, and this is my first year on the leadership team. I have made so many important connections to people around the state while discussing youth tobacco use. As a student advocate, I have the opportunity to work with 24/7, a campaign that aims to make school campuses tobacco-free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We do this by meeting with principals and school administration, providing them with resources and ideas to improve their tobacco policy. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak at a board meeting for Socorro Consolidated Schools about adopting our comprehensive tobacco policy district-wide. 

On September 21st, I was put on the agenda to speak at the meeting along with my leadership team member, Rhyan. We practiced a few days beforehand and felt confident about our presentation. On the day of the meeting, we logged in virtually and began waiting for our turn to speak. It was a little difficult to navigate Google Meets because I had been so accustomed to using Zoom for all my virtual meetings. Luckily, the school board was very patient and understanding of our struggle. They listened attentively and seemed very open to our suggestions. The meeting may have started out a little rough, but we ended strongly and gave a wonderful presentation that the board even complimented.

  Through this experience I learned that if you put enough passion into your advocacy, people will be able to connect to your message in spite of all the things that may get in your way. It is so important that we speak for our peers and connect with the adults in our life to bring about significant change. Only through empathy, awareness, and policy change can we end the issue of teenage tobacco use. Connecting to the people who can make this change is a significant step towards this goal. The next step is for them to act. By consistently following up with them to answer any questions and provide proper resources, we can help make this happen. We are hopeful that the Socorro Consolidated School District will adopt a comprehensive tobacco policy now that they know what they need to improve upon. No matter how scary it may seem, adults need to hear our opinions in order to create a safe school environment, free from the harmful effects of tobacco.

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2. Speaking My Truth at My First School Board Meeting