Hi! I’m Violet R., a member of Gadsden High School’s Evolvement chapter. This is my third year in Evolvement, and, although I am not an ENMLT member, I hope to be next year for my final year as I am currently a junior in high school. I have participated in many of Evolvement’s events for both the 24/7 campaign and No Minor Sale campaign which have been amazing opportunities to network and communicate with many community members and even administration and members of the school board. These opportunities have given me the chance to show my concern and express the community’s concern on the topic and issues we have faced in New Mexico in regards to tobacco use among minors. One opportunity that I have participated in, and that I feel gave me a much better idea of what being an Evolvement member actually means, was a recent 24/7 board meeting presentation to the Santa Rosa school district. I was beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity and seeing that they were so impressed only made me feel even more empowered as a member, knowing that I’m helping make a change in not only my community but other surrounding communities. 

As an Evolvement member, I feel that opportunities like these are the most important, not only for the cause, but also to allow me to grow to become more sociable and to be able to publicly speak on subjects like tobacco-free policies. This opportunity was also much more important as I had never presented to a school board for the 24/7 campaign and had been wanting to do so in hopes of creating a much more safe and healthy school environment for my district and surrounding school districts. So as mentioned earlier, I was given the opportunity to attend a Santa Rosa school board meeting and present about the campaign as well as our solutions to their outdated tobacco policy, which was extremely exciting and nerve-wracking as well, considering I am not a student in the district. Presenting to the board was a whole new experience, especially since it was a school board I had never met much less presented in front of before. But I also feel like that made my presentation much more impactful. Preparing was a lot easier than it would have been a few years ago, considering I am much more comfortable with the material and all the talking points for the program and campaign. But preparing mentally to present was different since I was going to be presenting on a Zoom call, which is new to me as well. The presentation overall went well. There were a few technical difficulties, but I felt well enough prepared to take on the challenge of finishing off on a good note and leaving a good impression on the district as well as allowing these people to hear a student’s perspective on the situation and how I would feel if I could help make that change.

Overall, I think it was a great experience, and I feel like I left a good impression and impact for the district as we have been informed that they will be adopting 24/7’s 100% tobacco-free policy. With that being said, I think the major takeaway from the opportunity is that, no matter where you may be from, words will have a lasting impact, and if people actually address that there is a problem and that there is a clear solution, it is much easier to make the change. Plus, hearing the feedback and the excitement that the board members had for our presentation and solutions assured me that they were not only impressed but eager to learn more and see how they can implement the policy. As an Evolver, I think it was a great learning experience and opportunity because knowing I can make change in another school district only makes me strive and also feel confident that I can make the same change in my own district with the help of other Evolvers. Once again, I think that taking the opportunity to speak to people, no matter where they may be from will always have an impact. Knowing that you contributed to those changes is just so much more fulfilling because, not only did you speak about your experiences and what you want to change, but you made a change and in a way that will not only impact our youth but future youth and the safety and health of the community.

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2. The Power of Student Influence in Districts Across New Mexico