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Texas
Teen Ambassador honored
Longview
High freshman recognized for educating peers about smoking
By ART
LAWLER
Friday,
February 23, 2007
No one expressed surprise when
15-year-old Nakia Dupree, a freshman at Longview High School, was named a
Texas Teen Ambassador last September by the Center for Safe Communities
and Schools at Texas State University in San Marcos.
Her continuing efforts were
honored Thursday afternoon at the East Texas Council on Alcoholism &
Drug Abuse (ETCADA), by the tobacco coalition, "People Educating
Communities About Tobacco."
Stories about Nakia were
plentiful, because many in the crowd had taught her or known her since she
was a pre-schooler.
"I can see her running to
be the president someday," said Bertha Brown, a retired pre-school
teacher who first got Nakia in her classroom at the age of 3.
Brown remembered the first day
Nakia showed up with her mother at Asbury House. Before the day was over,
Nakia was reading books to all the 4-year-olds, Brown said.
Her mother, Sherly Dupree,
said her youngest daughter was reading by age 2. "Nakia was born with
a hole in her heart, but God healed her and it began to heal up," she
said. A premature baby, Nakia's mom said she spent a lot of time singing
songs about the alphabet to her daughter.
Former teachers and friends
who gathered for the reception, smiled as Nakia spoke.
Some had to choke back tears
watching the little girl they once knew, addressing the mostly adult group
like a seasoned speaker now. Several remembered her precocious, but they
also praised her for her leadership with other children and as a polite,
helpful teenager.
She spoke about the harmful
effects of smoking and thanked the crowd for allowing her to help educate
her peers about tobacco by being an ambassador. She and the other high
school and college students serve as representatives and spokespersons for
the state's tobacco prevention efforts at the state and local level.
"This has been great for
me, getting to learn about the lies that tobacco companies tell young
people," she said, adding that she wanted to help make the world a
better place.
Nakia also thanked PECAT for
hosting the reception, which included local officials, school teachers,
family and friends.
Pam Surles, director of the
pre-school Asbury House, said Nakia was one of the brightest students the
school has ever had. "She has always behaved, and she's just been a
delight," Surles said. "She's really and truly a very genuine
person."
Angie Johnson-Guevara, Tobacco
Education program manager for ETCADA, said the money the organization
receives locally from the Gregg County Tobacco Fund (GCTF) program
supplements state funding received for tobacco prevention and cessation
programs.
"By using local funds in
Gregg County for our cessation program, we are able to do extra tobacco
prevention for Gregg County Youth," she said. "We could not
reach as many Gregg County youth as we do without local support."
She said Nakia, along with 50
other PECAT young people are good examples of what a coalition can produce
with strong community support."
Told that her former teacher
expected her to run for president someday, Nakia said she didn't know
about that. "If God directs me to do that, though, I'll probably do
it."
Her goal now, she said is to
become a lawyer, though she also likes writing and public speaking.
Nakia's mother, who teaches at
Asbury House, said her youngest daughter has also helped her with her
oldest daughter, Holly Jones, who has recently married. Jones suffered
from a muscle disease while growing up. "Now she's gotten up and is
walking, and she's going to Kilgore College.
This original article can be
found online
at:
http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/_02232007_teen_ambassador.html
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