Winnie Jiang has been involved in the Reality Check program for two years. The youth-led initiative empowers adolescents in New York State to become community leaders and advocates for a tobacco-free community.
"It really made me realize the power of youth voices," Jiang said.
The 16-year-old is a rising senior at East Ridge High School in Irondequoit. She said her stance against tobacco and nicotine use was a result of witnessing "the negative effects it had on the school community."
"I was very shocked, and I felt like something needed to be done about it," Jiang said. " Show others that you can stand up, and you can work against tobacco usage."
As a Reality Check member, Jiang has met with legislators in Albany and locally, and organized events, including a vape takeback day at her school, to push her cause. That work has earned her recognition as this year's statewide Youth Ambassadors of the Year by the New York State Bureau of Tobacco Control.
"They're really the group that leads the change," said Hannah Lee, director of the Smoking and Health Action Coalition, part of the Bureau of Tobacco Control. "Whatever is important to youth, I think inevitably becomes important to us adults, and it really instills in them that they do have the power to be the change.
Lee said the program also gives youth the "tools and skills to really advocate for any topic that's important."
Ved Deshmukh is also being honored by the bureau as Western Regional Youth Ambassador of the Year. The rising junior out of Pittsford Sutherland High School said working with the program has sharpened his public speaking skills and built his confidence.
But, he said, his core focus is to teach kids why nicotine use is bad.
"I want to give them the tools they need to succeed to actually advocate for change in their community," Deshmukh said. " I just hope that what I've done so far can inspire other people as well to step up."
