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.