The wise man Neil Armstrong once said, "One small survey for man, one giant leap for health." Although this is not exactly what Armstrong said, it is nonetheless the harsh reality of Oklahoma's health, especially for our youth, Oklahoma ranks as one of states with the highest rates of obesity with 18.8% of young people aged 10 to 17 falling into the "obesity" category. The affliction of poor health in the state of Oklahoma and even the United States is a multi-faceted problem. However, Elevate Student Health, a campaign sponsored by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), has summoned Oklahoma's youth to advocate for youth health, even if it is one survey at a time. 

Everyone needs a push. The United States needed competition from the Soviet Union to reach the moon, and it took courage for Armstrong to go from flying planes to flying in space. So what pushes students to advocate for Elevate Student Health? The answer is simple: love for our communities. 

My name is Carina Chen. I am a student in Oklahoma City, and I love my community. It is easy for me to stay comfortable and ignore the current status of health in my state, but it will always be more painful to see the people I love suffer from poor physical health. Furthermore, it is through a love of others that we campaign, but it is also a love for ourselves. We all usually want to be healthy; after all, self-described "healthy" people are 20% happier than average, while "unhealthy" people are 8.25% less happy. When our community is healthy, we are more likely to be happy, and everyone is more likely to be happy. 

Although we all want to see our communities smile, health is a difficult lifestyle to promote. However, Elevate Student Health spreads their mission through the one thing that all of our young people, healthy or unhealthy, may have exposure to: comprehensive school wellness policies. Our mission has three main goals: increase access to clean water, increase physical education and increase healthy food options in schools. We carry out our mission through a series of activities and initiatives: principal meetings that advocate for policy change within one school, followed by school board meetings and state legislative advocacy. We conduct surveys to gather information to present in these meetings, and we also host annual events to increase students' exposure to healthy options and habits. Students across Oklahoma work incredibly hard to better their communities, and although change is not instant, one small survey for man is one giant leap for mankind.

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By: Carina Chen, Classen SAS High School