Since 2004, VFHY’s youth engagement program, Y Street, has trained more than 10,000 youth to make their schools and communities healthier. Each year, a dedicated group of these youth is selected to become members of the Y Street Leadership Team (YSLT).

Pray Meh, from Charlottesville High School, has been an exceptional member of this prestigious team for two years. Recognizing the power that decision-makers have in creating tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor spaces across the commonwealth and supportive school environments that promote healthy hydration, she has taken an active role in empowering key decision-makers to make positive change through voluntary policy adoption.

Since joining Y Street, she met with Charlottesville City’s Nutrition Director and the Student Health Advisory Board to educate them about the Rev Your Bev campaign and garner support for the division to update the School Wellness Policy with Rev Your Bev’s model policy.

“I think it’s really important to connect key decision-makers with students. They need input from students because they don’t know the full scope of access to water and the barriers. Students can provide them with this context,” says Pray.  

In addition, she has led fellow members at her school in hosting a school-wide event to rally her school community around Rev Your Bev and the division’s efforts. Pray has also helped amplify campaign messaging online with fun TikTok videos and tangible tips that youth and parents can incorporate into their daily lives to turn drinking water into a habit.

For the Share The Air campaign, she presented the campaign to Charlottesville Region Ten, finding allies who are in support of 100% tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor public spaces and can help spread mass awareness and expand the campaign’s reach within the Charlottesville community. The campaign is personal to Pray:

“Having tobacco and e-cigarette-free outdoor spaces is important to me because I have three younger siblings and love to go to the park with them. I do not want them to be exposed to tobacco and e-cigarette smoke and vapor, and therefore advocate for Share The Air.”

During her time in Y Street, Pray met with her local representatives to share how Y Street mobilizes schools and communities around obesity and tobacco prevention efforts to spark interest and galvanize support. Meeting her state representatives was a unique experience for this high school senior. 

“Y Street has definitely helped me improve my speaking skills. I have been through many college and scholarship interviews recently and these skills have helped me formulate responses and provided me with great communication skills.”

Pray is an outstanding change-maker who consistently demonstrates her commitment to creating healthier communities, implementing grassroots advocacy through a comprehensive approach to make sure her school and community members are part of the movement.

Where Pray is Now

This excerpt was originally published in VFHY’s 2021 Annual Report to spotlight Pray Meh’s incredible work with Y Street.

Pray Meh is currently in her second year of studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she is pursuing a degree in Health, Physical Education, and Exercise Science with a concentration in Health Science, and is on the Pre-Med track. Having previously been a member of Y Street for three years and serving on the Leadership Team for two years, she is thankful for the opportunities she has received through her involvement with Y Street. She values how the program supported her in pursuing her passion for educating her community on the importance of healthy behaviors. Moreover, through her participation in Y Street, she has acquired valuable leadership skills, which she believes will benefit her future career.