Our Impact

I firmly believe that youth advocates are the most powerful force for enacting change. Truth Initiative is helping to amplify the voices of young people like myself, and I am thrilled to have the chance to contribute to building a better future.

Mary Kimmerle is a 17-year-old from Missouri. Beginning her advocacy journey in 8th grade with Youth with Vision, she now serves as co-president, leading mental health visibility campaigns. She is involved in the Liberty Alliance for Youth, bringing campaigns like "Knock Out Teen Vaping" to life, and advocating at the state level. She’s excited to use the Impact Scholarship to continue her work elevating youth activism as a winning strategy for policy change.

I found that it was a great opportunity to branch out and challenge myself – in terms of [organizing] events in my community – to raise awareness about the harms of using tobacco and grow as a leader. I am forever grateful for that experience, and I highly recommend it for everyone.

Kaitlyn is pursuing a Master of Public Health and is interested in addressing the root causes of systemic health inequities. Her goal as a truth Ambassador is to “mitigate health disparities that arise from tobacco and nicotine usage.”

A lot of individuals don’t know how the tobacco issue is an issue for everyone. There’s so many factors to it – social justice, environment, mental health – you can find your space in the tobacco issue because it affects so many things around us. I just love to do this work...

Yashi has been involved in tobacco prevention efforts for nearly four years, including as a truth Ambassador since 2022. “I want to ensure that the people I care about live in an environment that values mental, physical, and environmental health,” she said. She now serves on the Truth Initiative board of directors as a youth board liaison. 

I firmly believe that youth advocates are the most powerful force for enacting change. Truth Initiative is helping to amplify the voices of young people like myself, and I am thrilled to have the chance to contribute to building a better future.

Mary Kimmerle is a 17-year-old from Missouri. Beginning her advocacy journey in 8th grade with Youth with Vision, she now serves as co-president, leading mental health visibility campaigns. She is involved in the Liberty Alliance for Youth, bringing campaigns like "Knock Out Teen Vaping" to life, and advocating at the state level. She’s excited to use the Impact Scholarship to continue her work elevating youth activism as a winning strategy for policy change.