The Amazing Youth
With the recent inundation of bleak news- the crippled American economy, our faltering education system, and the rise of the “Occupy” movements- many may feel as if society is taking a wrong turn, leaving the progeny to flounder on its own.
Despite the series of unfortunate events,however, we can turn to the brilliant minds that are stirring about among high school students, who have the potential to bring innovation, talent, and hope to the future.
The Youth has the power to make great change- whether it’s a teenager who has created a nonprofit organization based off of her love for art and the environment, or a teenager who has used his battle with cancer as an avenue to speak out on behalf of the President’s Affordable Care Act, our upcoming generation has been accomplishing more at an earlier age, setting society up for a future brimming with bright minds, critical thinkers, and inspirational leaders.
Junior Anton Saleh Speaks at the White House
Carrying a football helmet in his right arm, and harboring a broad smile across his face, Junior Anton Saleh at Beverly Hills High School seems like an ordinary 16 year old- he’s active in student government, loves football, and is obsessed with getting his driver’s license.
But back in September 2009, when he was in eighth grade, Saleh was diagnosed with Stage 2 B Skin Cancer.
“At first, a weird rash broke out on my body, but I just thought, ‘No big deal. I’ll just use some ointments and it’ll go away.’ But soon enough, the rash developed all over my body,” Anton explained.
He underwent rigorous, expensive treatment three times a week: Targretin pills and intensive UV light treatment. Every day, he took four medications, which each cost more than $40 per capsule. The costs of the drugs hit his family hard- costing more than $5,000 per month and $60,000 per year. Consequently, Saleh’s family sold their home to pay for the rising medication and treatment costs.
“My healthcare insurer repeatedly declined support to cover the costs of the medicine that I needed to survive. I had no safety net,” Saleh explained. “After these hardships, I’ve learned that I can’t trust the health insurance system. Drug lists can change, policy terms can be changed, and coverage for a medical catastrophe such as cancer is an illusion. How can WE make an informed choice as to what constitutes adequate coverage if that coverage is changeable? How do WE negotiate with an insurance company when we have no market power and little information?”
The circumstances he faced under the previous healthcare policies were crippling. But fortunately, as a result of the Affordable Care Act passed under the Obama Administration, Saleh was able to switch his insurance carrier and find improved coverage for his treatment.
As a beneficiary of the healthcare law, Saleh spoke at the White House Awards Luncheon on May 16, 2011 and addressed President Obama and a room full of Senators, Representatives, and Congressional Leaders. He shared his life story with the nation’s legislators and discussed the ways in which the Affordable Care Act aided not only his situation, but also improved the circumstances for numerous cancer patients throughout America.
Under “Obamacare”, Saleh was able to change his insurance carrier- despite his “preexisting condition”- and gain more coverage for his treatment costs. With the law, he can remain under his parents’ health insurance up to the age of 26. Furthermore, cancer patients undergoing clinical trials will be provided coverage for patient-care costs, and insurance companies will be unable to place lifetime caps on patient coverage.
“Though the healthcare reform law has faced many challenges, what remains clear is that many of the key provisions provide vital protections for people like me,” Saleh explained. “And under the new law, an additional 32 million Americans will gain insurance coverage.”
Clearly, Anton Saleh isn’t an ordinary kid, nor is he an ordinary cancer patient. Well-versed in health care policies, he refuses to be held back by his skin cancer or by unfair insurance practices. He strives to enact changes in our healthcare system to ensure that all citizens receive the quality care that they deserve.
Not many can say that they have had the honor of speaking at the White House. But Saleh has already taken steps to do his part and advocate on behalf of thousands of patients around the world.
Smiling, Saleh declared, “I dream of an America where people no longer have to hide their medical history to prevent prejudicial actions. I dream of an America where everyone has access to affordable and quality healthcare. And I won’t stop until we get there.”
Chelsea Lim
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
Game Saver: Student Inventor Combats Concussions
At an early age, Braeden Benedict developed a liking to science. He even went as far as to compete nationally with his own invention. Now, after numerous recognitions and commendations, Benedict is now looking at an opportunity to potentially protect student athletes nationwide from detrimental injuries.
And yet, he is only 14 years-old.
A freshman at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Benedict took part in a national competition called the 2011 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, where he competed against nine others at the 3M Innovation center in St. Paul, Minn. over the past summer.
For three months, Benedict worked in a mentorship program with the other finalists to develop an innovation that would improve everyday life, and create the prototype of the idea.
Benedict developed a low-cost, impact-detecting device, which can be installed onto helmets. In cases of serious concussions during a game, the coach receives a signal that notifies him of a player’s injury immediately, thus enabling the player to be pulled out of the game. Using a mechanical sensor rather than an expensive electronic set, the invention is aimed towards school contact sports, such as football and lacrosse.
After presenting his potential solution for student concussions at the competition, Benedict was named winner of the challenge and “America’s Top Young Scientist”, while receiving a trip to Discovery Student Adventures and $25,000.
Benedict later went on to receive several honors back at home, as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors commended the student for his work, as well as to watch a demonstration of the product.
But before his national recognition, Benedict came across personal conflicts which prompted him to develop protection towards student athletes- two of his former teammates had suffered from serious cases of concussion, which led to further internal damage, during a match.
“Twice now I’ve had players who had concussions during games. One player was out of school for a very long time because he couldn’t focus and was having trouble,” Benedict said.
The damage actually came from not only the impact itself, but also the fact that coaches were unable to detect any problems with the student. This inability, which has prompted several state laws to take steps to protect student-athletes, could now be addressed with Benedict’s helmet.
As of now, Benedict is currently revising his prototype in his Science Research class. He hopes to contribute more to the effort being put in to help guard students from harmful effects of head trauma.
“I hope to take [the invention] up to being a real product, although it’s going to be a tough process,” Benedict said. “There is a ton more to be done in the area of concussions.”
Michael Yu
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
Jessica Fang ‘Saves Lives One Shirt at a Time’
Jessica Fang, a junior attending Cerritos High School, has founded a non-profit organization, S.O.P.E. (Save Our Precious Earth), through which she designs and sells shirts to donate to different organizations of various causes. Having a profound love for art, Fang decided to put her talents to a beneficial use.
By “saving lives one shirt at a time,” Fang aspires to get her organization out into the public and truly be able to make a difference in the world with her artistic gift.
Fang first started her organization, Precious Line, in May 2011.
“One day one person told me, “Jessica, your art is amazing, you should do something about it. And I did. She inspired me to continue with my dream which was just a small vague idea,” Fang recalled. She never knew she could help heal the world by doing something that she considered a simple hobby.
She was inspired to relate her first project to the devastating earthquake that hit Japan earlier that year in March. Fang decided to donate all the proceeds to Red Cross’s Japan donation project. Her first design mixed a range of the word ‘Japan’ in various languages and arranged the words into a heart figure. With an appealing and whimsical design, the shirt was unisex, made available to males and females, both young and old.
But because it was the first project right after she launched the organization, she was not able to spread the word out to much of the public. However, she managed to raise $125 after selling her self-designed shirts to close family and friends. Fang was even able to sell her shirt to relatives in Taiwan.
After her first project, Fang took a short break as she had a difficult time managing both her new organization and her hectic junior year schedule. But she planned for her second project in the process. She also changed the name of her organization from Precious Line to S.O.P.E. in order to make the title seem less feminine.
Fang recently launched her official blog for S.O.P.E. where she updates weekly entries of environmental issues such as the ocean, wild life, Africa, and the radiation in Japan. She also released her new design for her second project on the blog.
Her second project will be donated to the Ocean Conservancy, an organization that protects the ocean and spreads aquatic awareness. The design is in the “I love NY” concept, but instead, replaces the words with the letters “SOPE” and a design of an earth in the place of the ‘O’.
Fang sketches her designs on a tablet linked to her computer, places orders on shirt companies, and sells them from $15-$20. After paying for the shipping and product expenses, she donates all the profit to the organization that she is supporting.
Fang is deeply into conserving the environment and the wild life living in it.
“Ever since I was little I owned pets: hermit crabs, fish, chinchilla, and now a dog. I learned to love animals. Especially over the summer, I got to learn about marine biology and the environment by volunteering at the Long Beach Aquarium. I really got involved with learning about the endangered animals and how we, as humans, harm the ocean and its creatures like the coral reefs, which are also animals. I basically started falling in love with animals and the environment,” said Fang.
In order to continuously seek after what she loves, Fang hopes to pursue a double major in Art and Environmental Science in college. She is currently preparing her art portfolio for college applications.
But in the mean time, Fang has many short term goals as well. Her next project will take place in the months from January to February. Fang would like to help her close friend who made an organization through which he goes to Africa every summer to construct. She would like to donate to their cause and incorporate Africa as a theme for her next design.
Fang also plans on registering for the Etsy online art store to sell her doodles and smaller pieces of artwork. With the profit she makes, she would like to donate to the organizations that S.O.P.E. currently supports.
“Jessica is an amazing person. She is really doing her part every day to help the environment. She has also put her artistic talents to great use by designing shirts and donating the proceeds to various organizations,” said Junior Matthew Hu.
“One day, I want to get [S.O.P.E.] big enough so that I could donate more money to other organizations, without stressing out about making profits or meeting deadlines,” said Fang.
Fang strives to make a difference in the world with the best of her abilities. She exerts her talents to support beneficial causes, rather than use them for her own benefit.
Please be sure to support S.O.P.E. by visiting its new blog: http://sopeshirts.blogspot.com/2011/12/first-realease.html.
Irene Hwang
Cerritos High School
Jessie Young: The Young Motivator
Jessie Young, a senior at West High School, reflects an optimistic and quirky personality through her actions. Young modestly admitted that she is “easygoing, hard to anger, and someone who doesn’t give up easily.”
She is highly active in school events. She is involved in numerous extracurricular activities such as tennis, Amnesty International, Academic Decathlon, Piano, Orchestra, and Math Club. Currently, Young is the co-president of Amnesty International and the test coordinator for math club. Meanwhile, she is also “passionate about tennis, about learning interesting things – the way things work, how to play new piano pieces, how to draw a certain way.”
Young is constantly motivating and helping others, despite her busy schedule and lack of free time. Her determination is admirable, as well as is her ability to acknowledge her flaws— which she says is laziness. In addition to her active role in society, Young’s mellow personality and dedication to each activity is commendable. Ultimately, Young conveys the idea of making the most out of one’s life.
Jessie Young displays a great interest towards philanthropy and works diligently as Amnesty International’s President to spread the word about protecting human rights. Faiza Mohammad, co-President of Amnesty International, stated that “Jessie is a great leader and is very passionate about human rights. She has a lot of new innovative ideas on how we can spread awareness throughout the school about human rights.” Young displays great leadership, and many underclassmen look up to her for advice. Young advises underclassmen “[not to] do something you might regret later in life and don’t conform to others’ standards, be your own distinct self.”
Jessie Young lives by the famous quotation by Theodore Roosevelt, who stated, “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” Young announced that graduating from high school will be bitter sweet, but she is excited for the new experiences that await her in the future.
Young’s most recent goal is to “win first place at County with the Academic Decathlon team for the fourth year in a row, get better at tennis, and get into a college to learn a lot and meet interesting people.”
Furthermore, her goal in life is to “design some amazing, revolutionary technological product” and to “travel the world.” Young epitomizes the belief that having a hard work ethic results in success.
Ann Kim
West Torrance High School
