Growing up, Ellia saw firsthand just how harmful smoking can be for you. Her grandparents smoked most of their lives, and she watched her grandpa struggle with many respiratory problems that eventually led to a triple bypass. She saw his suffering and was convinced she had to do something to help others stay away from this dangerous product. Known as a proactive teenager, she was approached by the American Lung Association to become a tobacco control youth advocate when she was only a high school freshman. “They asked me to start doing compliance checks which really opened my eyes to how accessible tobacco products are to underaged teenagers,” she said.
Despite the Tobacco 21 law that is currently in place, Ellia was surprised by how easily she and her underaged peers could buy vapes and tobacco products because store owners rarely checked IDs. She also noticed how easily people in her classes could hide their vapes or nicotine pouches because they didn’t smell or emit any smoke, making it possible to use these products all day long. “Vapes are easy to hide, you can just go to the bathroom and use them. But with nicotine pouches it almost looks like you are putting in a piece of gum, so you can use them anywhere, anytime,” she explained.
Once she understood how great the need was, Ellia knew she wanted to take further action. Thus began her crusade against Big Tobacco and their attempts to lure teens into becoming lifelong dependents.
Trying to Prevent a New Age of Addicts
When you're a teenager, it is easy to feel invincible. It is this misconception that Ellia believes is a driving force behind tobacco and nicotine use around her. “Many people my age don’t realize the repercussions of their actions and it’s sad because even though they may feel ok right now, 20 or 30 years down the line their health is going to suffer,” she explained. She knew education was the best way to debunk the lies her peers were being fed.
She decided to take her cause to the capital. There, with the support of the American Lung Association and Pennsylvania’s youth empowerment movement, Tobacco Resistance Unit, she had the opportunity to speak with state representatives about tobacco enforcement. She was disheartened to learn that many of them didn’t see or understand the public health crisis that is hitting most schools across the nation. “It was great to share my experiences and even work through some ideas for improvement with them,” Ellia said.
Additionally, Ellia became a statewide Tobacco Resistance Unit ambassador. In this role, she was able to join a group of like-minded students who gather weekly to discuss ways to further the tobacco control movement in their community. She has teamed up with the Health and Science Club to create games and activities to better illustrate the dangers of these products. “I found preaching doesn’t work; you need to give people the facts and connect it to their lives in a very specific way,” she said. For example, Ellia and her classmates created a matching game that featured chemicals found in vape and tobacco products and asked students to match the chemical to the household product that also contained it. “I think people were really interested and it gave them important information in a way that stuck with them.”
Education as the Backbone of Advocacy
Ellia is so passionate about this work, she often does research on her own in hopes of always being ready to provide others with the facts they need to ditch tobacco for good. As a Tobacco Resistance Unit ambassador, she also has access to monthly meetings that offer instruction on how to become a better advocate and leader. They update her and her fellow ambassadors on the latest tobacco news and offer trainings to help them better serve the community.
Part of her ongoing education is learning from those who have been able to quit and determining what did and didn’t work for them. “I had a friend who quit vaping, and by sharing his experience with me, I was able to better understand the struggles and benefits he experienced when quitting,” Ellia explained. Through their discussions, Ellia was able to see just how much vaping had affected his physical and mental health, his relationships and his schoolwork. “Nicotine is so addictive and it can be so hard to quit. When people want to just try it, they have no idea how much that one time can affect all parts of their lives.”
This is particularly apparent when she sees other student athletes who are vaping or using nicotine pouches despite saying they are devoted to their sport. “The biggest challenge is the sheer number of students, especially athletes, who are all over social media vaping or using nicotine pouches,” she said. “I try to explain the dangers of glamorizing these products and if I see someone using, I try to reason with them by saying ‘do you really think this is not affecting your athletic performance?’ It’s just not as cool as they think.”
Spreading the Word
Ellia knows that for her, this is a lifelong crusade. She hopes to inspire others to stand up for a tobacco-free future and prevent people from suffering the way her grandpa did. “It’s not hard to stick up for what you believe in when you know it is the right thing,” she shared. She believes the first step is for each person to say no to tobacco themselves. From there, she encourages others to spread awareness and talk to their friends about why they use tobacco and why it is crucial they quit. “Every voice matters. And if we want a tobacco-free world, we have to fight for it,” she said.
Learn more about Youth & Young Adults In Action.
Blog last updated: May 29, 2026
