In addition to our incredible volunteers, there were a number of VIP guests at this year's Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. Six of them represented the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which selects 1,000 talented students annually to receive full-paid scholarships. The program launched its first-ever non-profit partnership in April 2014 with the American Cancer Society. The initiative will run for one year and provides scholars and alumni with volunteer opportunities that are centered around four pillars of engagement: 1) Health Equity 2) Health Advocacy 3) Direct Patient Programs 4) Collegiate Relay for Life As part of this partnership, we were able to invite several of the scholars to Leadership Summit and Lobby Day to participate in the trainings, meet with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill and experience the world of cancer advocacy. Their delegation leads, Zephanii Smith and Xavier Williams, interviewed each of the scholars about their Lobby Day experience. I wanted to share a couple of those first-hand experiences with you:
Roy Khair (Stonybrook University; Lab Research Assistant working on Colon Cancer Prevention) He became passionate about joining the fight as he engaged with volunteers and survivors and identified his time lobbying Sen. Charles Schumer as one of the most remarkable moments on the Hill. He explained that he was inspired by one of his fellow delegates from New York, Kathy, who is a cancer survivor with relatives who have been impacted by the disease. He said, She choked up as she was describing her pain and the pain her family members were experiencing in their battles with cancer. The fact that she volunteered to come to D.C. and became the voice for her family members were truly remarkable. People talk about resilience and uphill battles; but, Cathy was epitome of persistence... I am fighting for people like Kathy. With regard to future advocacy opportunities, he said that in order for scholars to truly become effective leaders for America's Future, we must engage in advocacy and commit to learning more about the people who are impacted by our causes. He said, Cancer treatment and prevention requires public awareness just as much as research. Attending advocacy event like this made me realize that if we, as Gates Scholars, wish to continue to make a difference in the nation, we must start our public awareness efforts at our local communities' level and must bring such efforts to the national level.
Ernesto Villasenor (Graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic University who is passionate about health equity issues) My aspirations to join the delegation of Gates Millennium Scholars who are participating in this advocacy initiative stem from my work as an undergraduate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and as an intern with the Los Angeles County Education Foundation. With the support of numerous organizations and elected officials in L.A. County, we established a resolution that advocates and supports the opening of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) in hotspot communities across the county. This collective action showed me that we can engage experts within our communities to help us understand the local health needs to develop a sustainable SBHC. The experience also served as a moment to help me realize that there is much more that needs to get done in the legislative realm in order to sustain such systems in the long run. Advocacy and legislation are needed at all levels of government, and such legislation has to be inclusive of every single individual, group, and community that is affected by cancer. This is why I joined and this is what drives me to be a fighter for social justice and health rights in underserved communities. After the summit, he cited his most memorable moment as seeing the waves of blue polos - worn by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteers covering every corner of the Capitol. He described, We were literally in every corner of it, speaking to Congresspersons, tourists, and other individuals who would come to us and ask about what we were doing.
Each of the scholars who participated in the Leadership Summit this year had an opportunity to connect with fellow volunteers and local advocacy groups to continue advocating in their respective communities. During the course of the year, alumni are expected to participate in a host of activities offered through the partnership. To read more about their experience in Washington, D.C., view their blog posts at www.gmsacsadvocacy.tumblr.com.
Mariah Forster Olson, an ACS CAN Ambassador Constituent Team Lead (ACT Lead), traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to share her story as a childhood cancer survivor and to advocate on behalf of other patients and survivors during the 2019 Childhood Cancer Action Days.