September 2020

Starting Small

In September 2020, during a moment when public health had become more visible and urgent than ever, I founded the Public Health Club—affectionately known as PHC—at my high school. Our goal was to raise awareness of pressing public health issues, support individuals facing difficult circumstances, and encourage students to become advocates within their own communities. From food insecurity and medical concerns to broader social and public health challenges, we wanted to create a space where important issues could be recognized, discussed, and addressed. At the time, I imagined PHC simply as a school club. I did not yet realize how far the idea could grow.

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One month later, we hosted our first advocacy event in recognition of Autism Awareness. We collaborated as a club, shared educational resources, and encouraged members of our school community to become more informed and involved. We also created our first social media account and shared photographs from the event. Seeing students come together around a shared purpose showed me how powerful advocacy could be—even on a small scale. I had so much fun working alongside other students, spreading awareness, and finding tangible ways to help my community. That first event planted the seed for something much larger.

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For nearly a year, PHC remained a school-based initiative. As a high school student, I questioned whether I had the experience, resources, or influence to create an organization with a broader reach. Eventually, I asked myself a different question: Why not? In June 2021, I founded Public Health PHC: A Foundation for Advocacy Initiatives, keeping the original PHC acronym as a reminder of where we began. Throughout that summer, we drafted plans for transforming our small club into a youth-led organization capable of educating, connecting, and mobilizing young advocates beyond our school. We began humbly, with approximately 30 Instagram followers and five posts—but with an ambitious vision for what the organization could become.

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By September 2021, Public Health PHC had begun developing into a global digital platform. We  started creating public health infographics and blog posts while using the work of our original school club as an example of how young people could translate education into action. We expanded our advocacy days, created opportunities for students to earn service hours while learning about public health, and developed partnerships with organizations such as the American Childhood Cancer Organization. Our first major fundraiser raised more than $1,500, demonstrating that a small group of students could generate meaningful support for causes far beyond our immediate community. What had begun as a school club was becoming a network through which young people could learn, advocate, and serve.

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We began designing a website in February 2022 that would allow Public Health PHC to provide more than social media content. I envisioned a central space where students and community members could access educational resources, public health information, advocacy calendars, service opportunities, and tools for taking action. The website officially launched in June 2022. That same year, Public Health PHC became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, marking a new chapter in our growth. We were no longer only sharing information—we were building an infrastructure through which aspiring public health advocates could find resources, develop initiatives, and make a direct or indirect difference in their communities.

Our story is proof that starting small does not mean thinking small. Public Health PHC began as one high school club, one advocacy day, and one question: Why not?

Today, we continue to carry that question forward, empowering young people to recognize that they do not have to wait for permission, status, or experience to begin creating change.