Oklahoma Teen Earns National Recognition for Tobacco-Free Efforts
As teen vaping and tobacco use remain critical issues in the Sooner State, one Oklahoma City high school student is fighting for change. Carina Chen is the 2025 Barrie Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year. This award honors one young person who works to reduce tobacco use in their state and community. For Carina, this highlights years of hard work in Oklahoma City schools, and successful tobacco-prevention advocacy at the state level.
Carina’s fight against Big Tobacco started close to home. For years, she watched her grandfather battle lung cancer and her father struggle to quit smoking.
“Witnessing the toll of tobacco on their body and spirit compelled me to take action,” Carina Chen said. “I am an advocate because I have seen the pain and suffering tobacco has caused so many families, and I can only hope to spare others the same heartbreak.”
Taking Action With YAHL
Carina found a platform to achieve these goals with Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL), a program funded by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and part of the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative. YAHL gives teenagers across Oklahoma the tools, support and education to create tobacco-free change in their schools and communities.
Through YAHL, Carina focused on reaching out to Asian immigrant families in her community about the dangers of tobacco use, providing them with cessation resources and prevention education.
Making Changes Across the State
Carina’s work goes beyond YAHL. In 2023, Carina worked with the American Cancer Society to expand access to cancer screenings and treatment in Oklahoma.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Tobacco Prevention in Oklahoma
Oklahoma faces a serious teen vaping problem. Currently, 21.8% of Oklahoma high school students report vaping — more than double the national average. Vape companies have many tricks up their sleeves to target teens and keep them addicted, like flavors, discreet/stealth shipping and social media marketing. Locally, Carina worked on the CounterAct Tobacco campaign, holding Big Tobacco accountable for targeting youth, and educating the public about tobacco retail licensing policies.
“I hope my peers can fully understand the mental health impacts of vaping are just as important as the physical health effects, from lung damage to addiction,” she said. “Spreading education and encouraging others to seek cessation resources is the first step to a healthier Oklahoma.”
Vaping can have harmful impacts on teens’ bodies and brains. From long-lasting health effects, such as respiratory issues, cognitive impacts and addiction, to mental health struggles, such as increased anxiety and depression, mood swings, learning difficulties and impulsivity, Oklahoma’s teens deserve to know the truth about tobacco.
Celebrating Success and Continuing the Fight
Young people like Carina bring a unique perspective to public health work, helping to give peers and communities a voice while providing valuable insight. The Barrie Fiske Youth Advocate of the Year Award recognizes past accomplishments and future potential. Carina’s recognition brings national attention to youth-led initiatives like YAHL, showing real change is possible.
TSET has many programs working to improve health across Oklahoma, such as:
- Tobacco Stops With Me: a statewide program supporting tobacco-free policies.
- Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline: a program that provides free quit services to all Oklahomans.
- Shape Your Future: a program that aims to make the healthy choice the easy choice for Oklahoma families.
- TSET Healthy Youth Initiative: an initiative helping younger Oklahomans learn how to live healthier lives through reduced tobacco use and improved nutrition and physical activity.
TSET also funds several grant opportunities for communities and school districts to improve access to healthy options.
Carina’s work shines a spotlight on other important work happening in Oklahoma. It’s a reminder that real change often starts at the grassroots level, with individuals who care enough to take action. In this case, that individual is a teenager from Oklahoma City who decided to fight back against tobacco.
If you’re looking to take action in your community or are curious to learn more about tobacco-free efforts, visit our Get Involved page for more information.