Adrianna Casaus

Cuba, NM

Adrianna got involved in the fight against Big Tobacco during her freshman year of high school after noticing widespread e-cigarette use among her peers and witnessing the effects of tobacco use on her grandfather’s health. She enrolled in an in-depth tobacco prevention training program where she learned about the dangers of tobacco products and how to combat them.

Adrianna made it her mission to advocate for policies to protect youth, focusing successfully on getting two local school boards to implement a comprehensive policy prohibiting use or possession of tobacco products on school grounds. She then met with New Mexico legislators to advocate for the Tobacco Products Act, a new law that raised the tobacco sales age to 21 and required retailers to obtain a license to sell tobacco products. Adrianna most recently worked alongside the American Heart Association to advocate for an increase in the state’s tobacco tax.

In addition to her tobacco control work, Adrianna is very involved in her school community as a student athlete and student council member. She is a strong leader who strives to welcome her peers to join her advocacy work.

Joshua Ching

Waipahu, HI

Joshua’s advocacy began his freshman year of high school after realizing how the tobacco industry’s predatory marketing practices disproportionately impacted Native Hawaiians. After joining Tobacco-Free Hawaii’s Youth Council, he quickly focused his advocacy work on policy solutions including banning flavored tobacco products, funding cessation programs and stopping online tobacco sales.

As he gained experience working with elected officials and other policymakers, Joshua quickly discovered his strength in forging strong relationships and building grassroots support. He conducted youth training workshops and peer-to-peer awareness events and encouraged students to join the fight against Big Tobacco. His achievements include organizing March Against Menthol rallies that drew hundreds of people and building support to include menthol products in legislation to end the sale of flavored tobacco products. Joshua continues to use his platform to get more young people involved in the fight for the first tobacco-free generation and says he is “committed to the fight against Big Tobacco and to the fight for justice – because that’s what it means to be Hawaiian.”

Katherine Morrison

Paducah, KY

Katherine’s advocacy began at an early age after she witnessed the impact of tobacco use on her father and family. Eager to help create change and tackle the youth e-cigarette epidemic, Katherine joined her high school’s Family Career and Community Leaders of America chapter.

Katherine jumps at any opportunity to speak with her state legislators, including advocating for local communities to have the power to regulate the sale of tobacco products. She has promoted a statewide bill to overturn a preemption law and allow local governments to pass their own tobacco prevention measures. This work gave her the opportunity to speak about the e-cigarette epidemic at the Kentucky State Capitol. Even in the face of skepticism from some classmates, she leads by example and emphasizes fighting the tobacco industry and not individual tobacco users.

Aside from her tobacco control advocacy, Katherine is also involved in athletics and volunteers wherever she can make a difference in her community. Katherine’s confidence and passion for advocacy make her an invaluable voice in the fight against tobacco.

Sumner County TNSTRONG Ambassadors

Hadley Brown, Nahzah Blair, Niya Angelova and Ella Paligo

Sumner County, TN

After knowing each other for years, this group of four friends from central Tennessee decided to advocate for change in their own community. During their freshman year of high school, they started a tobacco prevention group to educate their classmates about the dangers of vaping and now serve as state representatives for the Tennessee Stop Tobacco and Revolutionize Our New Generation (TNSTRONG) Ambassador Program.

Constantly looking for new ways to connect with fellow students to promote tobacco prevention, they created their “Be a Hero, Drop Vaping to Zero” campaign and convinced 700 of their peers – as well as U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and other elected officials – to pledge to remain vape-free. As a result of their relentless efforts, they gained the sponsorship of America’s largest health insurer, United Healthcare, and their local Sumner County Prevention Coalition.

In addition to their community work, they frequently meet with state legislators to build support for tobacco prevention efforts. They presented a universal substance abuse policy – with a focus on vaping – to the Sumner County Board of Education, which adopted the policy, and convinced the Governor to declare March as Anti-Vaping Month. Thanks to their incredible work, the state now wants to implement a TNSTRONG Ambassador Program in every high school in Tennessee.

The Sumner County TNSTRONG Ambassadors are making an impact in their school, their county and their state. They are a model organization for educating their peers and making a difference, and we are honored to name them our 2022 Group Youth Advocates of the Year.