Hi, I am Diego Romero and attend Arrowhead Park Early College High School. I have been in Evolvement for 3 years and on the Leadership Team for 2. The Leadership Team has been a great opportunity and I am grateful I have participated in it. From the opportunities and experiences I have gotten to be a part of, to the friends I have made along the way, the Leadership Team is the most wonderful experience and I believe I have learned a lot of different skills and become more passionate about advocacy work because of it. 

Within Evolvement I have gotten to participate in a range of activities, from attending Leadership Summits to even getting to meet with legislators during Day at The Capitol. Summit is where you get to learn about all the different aspects of being a leader in Evolvement and not only is it informative but it is also fun. One minute you are learning how to give a site visit presentation and the next you are participating in an air band concert with fellow leadership members to see who can play the air guitar the best. Getting to meet with legislators, speaking to the people who make policy changes, and seeing what they do in their everyday lives is a great experience. It’s important to educate those who make these decisions so that they know what’s going on and what they can do to make our state happier and healthier. 

I think that Evolvement has taught me skills that I can continue to use in my professional life. Some examples include how to be a better communicator. I want to continue to become an Electrical Engineer and communication is key in a work environment like that. From the different presentations I have gotten to do I think I have greatly improved upon these skills to the point that I can confidently say that it’s easy once you know what you are doing. I have also learned some other skills that are important like networking. At this last summit, we learned a lot about networking and how important it can be. Networking is also a very important skill to have since having connections can always benefit you in the end.

The Evolvement leadership team is truly one of the best things I could participate in. From learning life skills I can carry on into the rest of my life to advocating for change, I feel the work I have done will have a lasting impact that will affect future generations and current. The leadership team has made me a better leader and I am grateful for that. 

Hello, my name is Myranda. I’m a senior at Cuba High School and I’ve been on the Evolvement New Mexico Leadership Team (ENMLT) for two years. I would say that the Evolvement Leadership Team has changed my life. Since I joined last year, I’ve become very confident with my public speaking and social skills. The Evolvement staff create a very comfortable environment with many opportunities to not only meet new people but to work and be friends with them, especially while at the Leadership Team Summit. The Evolvement staff host a lot of fun activities that are meant to push us out of our comfort zone to show us that it’s ok to be nervous but that we can overcome those feelings. They give us a ton of tips and tricks on how to present to a group without feeling like we’re going to fail. They build up your confidence by making sure you know what you’re going to talk about and make sure you’re taking deep breaths when you do start to feel anxious. Before Summit, I was unable to overcome the nervousness even when just presenting to my class. Now, I truly do feel confident enough to speak in front of school boards and even legislators. 

Some things that I’ve done to gain these skills are: event challenges where we engage with the public, and networking events where we meet with official members of our community. Not only do we do these events to get us comfortable speaking in front of people we don’t know, but we also do fun activities with the other members of the leadership team that let us build strong friendships. The skills we gain through these activities and experiences are going to help us in our future careers. We’ll be able to put these skills on our resumes, college applications, and will know how to make friends with new people. I think gaining skills at the Evolvement Leadership Team Summit has been very beneficial to my future and has been so much fun. That’s the really great thing about Summit, you get to gain all of these really great skills but in very fun ways!

“Do you want a hit?” I was asked, in the bathroom, my first week of middle school. I hadn’t been exposed to vaping before, so I declined out of fear. I began to notice the prominence of vaping on campus and most of my friends were trying it. With all the troubles vaping caused, I decided it wasn’t for me. It was difficult to combat peer pressure, and I wondered how vaping could be so easily accessible to youth. I wished that the pressure to vape didn’t exist for any of us.  

During my freshman year on Zoom, there was a presentation for a group called Evolvement. I joined to be involved in something during the pandemic. Evolvement is a youth-led movement where our mission is to create positive change in New Mexico by decreasing the harmful effects of tobacco and vape products. Four years later, I am the secretary of Evolvement’s leadership team and one of their most active members. 

After being accepted, I learned that the main objective of Evolvement’s campaign, 24/7, was to get the New Mexico Public Education Department (P.E.D) to repeal the existing tobacco policy and replace it with a policy that meets 24/7’s standards. 24/7 fights to keep nicotine and tobacco products out of schools. A policy change like this would hold all New Mexico schools, K-12, accountable for taking action towards keeping nicotine and tobacco products off campus. Over the past four years, I’ve contributed to this mission by presenting to health boards and businesses, speaking with high school principals, participating in community events, and most importantly meeting with New Mexico state legislators at the capital, be it in person or on Zoom.

On October 27, 2023, the New Mexico P.E.D. adopted to repeal the current tobacco policy and replaced it with 24/7’s policy. I am beyond proud to know that I made a difference for the entire state. Hopefully, with this new policy, a student starting middle school can focus on finding their identity rather than a harmful habit.

Hi, my name is Billy Haskey, I’m a sophomore at Newcomb High School and a second year Evolvement Member. Evolvement is a program led by high school students promoting a healthy New Mexico free from tobacco addiction. 

The first step in being an Evolvement Member is going to training. At the training, I learned about the dangers of tobacco and how much it hurts people and communities. Tobacco is dangerous because it is really unhealthy and addictive. I learned the difference between traditional and commercial tobacco, and how the tobacco companies add chemicals to the products they sell to make it more addictive. Which I think is really wrong because it makes people sick. I have family members who use tobacco products, and it makes me feel really sad and mad that they use these products that are hurting them. I don’t like that the tobacco companies put chemicals in their products because it makes me worry about their health. I also know people at school that use vapes even though they get yelled at by teachers. I think they use vapes because they think it will help them when they are stressed but it really just gets them in trouble. At the training we learn how we can help stop the tobacco companies so we can protect people from the dangers of tobacco. 

The second step of being an Evolvement member is completing a Training Project. The Training Project is when we have to go out and collect surveys for the campaigns that Evolvement works on. The first campaign is the 24/7 campaign which is working to make New Mexico schools 100% tobacco free. The second campaign is No Minor Sale which is working to stop the sale of tobacco to young people and restrict the flavors in tobacco products. We collect surveys to get people’s opinions about tobacco in their schools and their communities. It’s important that we collect these surveys so that we can understand what people care about. Once we know what they care about we can bring that information to the law makers and try to get them to understand that the people want policy change. At training, we learn how important policy change is and how exactly it can help stop tobacco because it makes rules against the tobacco companies’ tricks. 

After training and doing the training project you become an Evolvement Member. As a member you can host events and do presentations to teach more people about the campaigns and the dangers of tobacco. I think this work is important so I plan on being a member all the way up to my senior year. I think more people should join Evolvement because then we have a better chance of the law makers listening to us. 

Yá’át’èèh Shí éí Ariana Largo yinishyé. Naakai dine’é nishłį, Ta’neeszahnii ėí bá shíshchíín, To’dich’ii’nii ėí dashicheii, Bit’ ahnii èí dashinálí.

Hello my name is Ariana Largo I’m a senior at Cuba High School, this is my first year in Evolvement. At first I thought that I wasn’t suitable for Evolvement or the leadership team. I kept worrying about getting embarrassed in front of the other leadership team members. Even when Mr. Delgado, my school’s Evolvement advisor,  asked if I was interested in going to the Summit, I kept telling him “I’m not sure” and “I’ll let you know.” I told him that over and over until I finally told myself to go and get out of my shy bubble. 

The first day I came to the Summit I was so scared to talk or make eye contact with others. But they made me feel so comfortable and welcome, everyone was so nice and it even felt like we’d known each other before! They helped me feel more comfortable talking with other members and even strangers. They helped me find my voice and even to believe in myself and not second guess myself. While at the summit, I got to develop a great bond with everyone on the leadership team. 

The leadership team summit is where you learn how to be a good leader, how to recruit other members at your school, how to collect surveys, and how to be involved in the campaigns through presentations and meetings. We also talk about why this work is important to us and why we are all passionate about the program. This program is important to me because I don’t want youth to have problems in the future with their health. I also deeply care about this work because my uncle struggled with addiction to nicotine and is struggling with his health. This is why I am on the leadership team, so I can make the change I want to see.

Hello! I’m Payton Binion, I’m a senior at Cuba High School and this is my third year in Evolvement and second year on the Evolvement Leadership Team. I joined Evolvement because I wanted the chance to be a part of something bigger than myself. Through Evolvement we have the chance to make a real change for the future of New Mexico.

The way we can start this change is by attending training. Training season is the recruitment and training process for new and existing Evolvement members. During the Evolvement training we give a presentation about Evolvement and use the public speaking skills we learn at Summit to execute this presentation. I think it’s so important that we get students to come to the Evolvement training because it’s a direct way to educate them on the dangers and risks of tobacco and nicotine products and help them become youth advocates as well.

Since being on the leadership team I feel that I’ve learned a lot of skills I can use in my life after graduating. I used a lot of these skills to recruit new Evolvement members. Last year’s training session went very well and we got a lot more participation than I expected. After the training session I spoke to a lot of students who tell me they learned something and that they want to change either using these products themselves or want to get a friend or family member to quit. Knowing that I’m a part of this program makes me feel like I’m fulfilling my dream of being a part of a change. Being an older sister, aunt, and just someone that younger kids look up to, I want a safer and better future for them. I don’t want them to have to worry about peer pressure, or worry about their friends and peers having this addiction as I have to now. I hope after I graduate that more students use their voice to be a change for a better tomorrow.

    My name is Stephanie Romero. I attend Mora High School and I just started my junior year. I have been in Evolvement for three years and I’m currently in my second year of the leadership team. I joined Evolvement because I knew it would help me grow as a leader and a person in general. If there was one word I would use to describe my journey in Evolvement, I would say progressive. I feel as though I have changed in a good way by being a youth advocate. 

     I’m writing mainly to tell you how I wish to see Evolvement grow. I have had the opportunity to connect with not only my school but my community members throughout my years of being an advocate for a tobacco-free New Mexico. I want to see the statistics grow in our favor. I would love to see the 24/7 policy adopted throughout New Mexico. I’m so glad to be part of the campaigns we work on in our efforts to take down tobacco. However, I want more! I think we can achieve great things by working together. I hope to see more members join the leadership team. If we all band together, I believe New Mexico will slowly grow into a healthy state. 

     Evolvement is truly impactful. It’s so important to me because it’s helped to share who I am today. I would like to think I’ve become a great leader. I have developed so many useful skills throughout advocating for a better state. From Evolvement, I have learned how to confidently voice my opinions. I was able to meet with a variety of people starting from small organizations to New Mexico’s state legislators. Meeting them helped to get them on board with our campaigns. This is why I think others should join Evolvement and why I call my journey progressive.

Hello everybody! My name is Kailey Vasquez, I am a junior at Mora High School. I have been in Evolvement for three years and on the leadership team going on two years now. The program was originally introduced to me by one of my friends. At first I was unsure about joining but decided to try it, joining was one of the best decisions I have made. 

Evolvement is super important to me and I think it is a great program. I get the opportunity to make life long friendships and advocate for the change I want to see throughout my community. Keeping nicotine and tobacco products out of both the school and community is vital to keeping it healthy. Oftentimes peer pressure throughout schools can get people to try the nicotine products. I have even seen my friends struggle with addiction caused by peer pressure as well as family. This is why the program is so close to my heart because I know they wish they had someone to educate them on the dangers before starting it. Spreading awareness and fighting for the change we want to see is what Evolvement is about. This program helped me grow as a person in so many aspects. I have become a better public speaker, presentor, and advocate. Before I attended summit I wouldn’t have been able to go advocate my passions to total strangers, but now I can approach people and share my knowledge of the program with confidence.

I have met some of the best people throughout my time in Evolvement. These people are like my family and I love making change with them. If you are thinking about joining Evolvement, do it! You won’t regret it and it will better you as a person and help our movement grow.

Hi, my name is Sarette Patrick, and I am a senior at Pecos Cyber Academy. I joined Evolvement my sophomore year of high school and joined the leadership team this year. During my sophomore year, and before I joined Evolvement, my to-do list looked something like this:

Make friends

Become more confident and up my public speaking skills

Make change in my community by using my voice for a cause I am passionate about

Earn money or other cool prizes

By joining Evolvement, you can check off all these boxes! As you can imagine, when I found out about the program after they came to my Algebra class to present, I was quick to join.

You may be wondering what this program is about. Evolvement is a program that encourages youth all across New Mexico to use their voice to advocate for ending the illegal sale of tobacco to minors, as well as to work to keep schools tobacco-free 24 hours, 7 days a week. We also educate ourselves and other youth just like us on the true dangers of tobacco products- addressing issues like tobacco companies’ youth-targeted marketing, and how flavored e-cigarettes are actually just as harmful as traditional tobacco products.

One way that we accomplish our advocacy goals is through presentations to school principals-encouraging them to sign on with our 24/7 campaign and make their school 100% comprehensive. This means they ban all tobacco use across their campus, as well as during school events. Another way we accomplish our goals is by meeting with New Mexico health and community organizations through the No Minor Sale campaign, encouraging them to sign on as partners. Garnering the support of many organizations is important because it shows lawmakers and legislators that this change is truly wanted by a myriad of New Mexico citizens; we are not alone in our desire for stricter tobacco policies or an increased tobacco tax. And that is not all we do. There are so many other ways you can make a difference. From writing blogs, to setting up a stand at your school or local farmers market, to collecting opinion surveys from people in your community, the advocacy options are endless!

Having a passion for positive change in your community is not the only reason you should join. The amount of fun you will have is enormous. Everyone in the program, from the Youth Field Organizers and other program leaders to the students themselves, are so friendly and smart. And while everyone has their own personal reasons for joining, we all share the same interest and passion for making our communities healthier and more aware of the issues we advocate for. You will make so many friends from all across the state.

During your time in this program, you will also grow as a person. Evolvement is youth-led, meaning it gives us teens a platform to express ourselves. We are the ones creating the change and using our voices, and in turn encouraging even more youth to do the same. Through this program and the advocacy work I participate in; I have realized just how important my opinions and voice are. It is extremely motivating to know that I can be heard, AND be the catalyst for real change! Not to mention that through many of the projects you choose to participate in, you will have so many opportunities to practice and improve your public speaking skills. While slightly intimidating at first, the training, preparation, and team support for such events will leave you feeling totally ready. My public speaking skills continue to improve since joining Evolvement to the point where I am hardly even nervous at all!

Last but not least, every opportunity you partake in earns you points, and these points can be redeemed for money or prizes. I have been saving my points since I joined the program, and they have added up very quickly!

By joining Evolvement, you can accomplish so much. You will make friends, grow as a person, make change in your community and state, earn prizes, and have so much fun. I am so glad I joined this program and got to experience all that I have. My only regret is not joining sooner. YOU should join Evolvement and become the next generation of change-makers. I hope to see you soon!

Hello, my fellow New Mexicans! I am Kris M.: (1) a Gadsden High School graduate, (2) an accredited Evolver, and (3) an Evolvement Leadership Team member. Being a seasoned Evolvement approaching veteran, I have taken part in my fair share of meetings, events, presentations, and more. Today, I would like to take you through what a day as an Evolvement Leadership Team member could and would look like! 

Communication is key. As cheesy as this sounds, communication is absolutely crucial to hosting out-of-the-park events. Prior to said Evolvement event it is necessary for Leadership Team members to be in contact with the Evolvement team from Albuquerque, our personal campus club advisors, and other Evolvers who we will be working alongside in the day’s endeavors. With all hands on deck, Evolvers are given the space and support to brainstorm event ideas as a collective until a final verdict is made. Once our campus club advisor approves, we confirm with the Evolvement team in Albuquerque. An Evolvement event is on the calendar! The days leading up the event are filled with back and forth confirmation emails/messages and the finalizing touches so everything is smooth sailing the day of. 

On the day of said event, Evolvement Leadership Team members typically guide other Evolvers through the experience so showing up early is helpful to avoid being super frazzled as our teammates begin filing in. With the crew ready to get started, we can start setting up the table and whatever else necessary (surveys, games, prizes, etc.). As the event gets started it can be a bit intimidating, but it’s not so bad once everyone gets into the groove of things. Now, we are connecting with our community by having meaningful conversations about decreasing the harmful and addictive use of commercial tobacco products. Before you know it, the event is sadly over; it’s time to pack up and head home.

Little do you know, the fun is just getting started! A text from Evolvement comes in as a sweet reminder that the monthly Evolvement Leadership Team meeting or “e-hang” starts in a few minutes. After clicking on the link attached to the text, we join the Evolvement personnel and our fellow Leadership Team members in the Zoom meeting. These e-hangs last about an hour and are pretty easygoing. This provides a chance to get to befriend our peers and share our Evolvement experiences and plans. With this comes fresh sets of eyes and ears that are willing to help via support, advice, and whatever else possible.

Being a member of the Evolvement Leadership Team has certainly elevated my Evolvement experience. Thanks to the Leadership Team, I’ve been presented opportunities that other Evolvers may not, as well as been able to gain confidence in my capabilities and advocacy as a whole.