Becoming a Voice for Youth in the Fight Against Nicotine: One Student's Journey
When Vanessa Jones enrolled in the Community Health Worker program at Minnesota West Community & Technical College, they never imagined the doors that would open—doors leading to collaboration with community leaders, youth advocates, and public health professionals. Their journey—rooted in childhood experiences, guided by a sense of responsibility, and driven by a heart for service—was already paving the way.
Vanessa’s path took a meaningful turn the day they were invited to join Madison Coleman for an interview about the Coalition for a Nicotine-Free Greater Mankato. As an intern at Open Door Health Center, they attended a Substance Use Disorder meeting where Madison presented on the rising dangers of smokeless tobacco and the alarming ways nicotine companies were targeting youth.
As Vanessa read written statements from local kids, they hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten. Middle schoolers described addiction. Students avoided bathrooms to escape pressure to vape. Children worried about their futures, their self-esteem, their changing friendships. The stories also told Vanessa exactly what they needed to know: the kids in their community needed advocates.
Vanessa has always been the type of person who carries a fully stocked first aid kit—not for themself, but in case someone else needs it. Their instinct to care for others started long before their internship or CHW studies. It began at home, as a young child learning about the dangers of smoking in school.
That Christmas, when their mother asked what they wanted, Vanessa didn’t ask for toys or clothes.
They asked their mother to quit smoking.
And that winter, their mother did.
The relief they felt as a child stayed with them. Years later, when they saw how flavored vapes and targeted marketing captured teens—teens who were anxious, insecure, or simply trying to fit in—they felt something else: anger. Empathy. And a renewed determination to become the advocate their community needs.
Working with the Coalition for a Nicotine-Free Greater Mankato has given Vanessa exactly what they hoped for: the chance to connect, engage, and make a difference. Through outreach tables, conversations with families, and meetings with leaders like Chief of Police Jeremy Clifton, they’ve grown into a confident advocate who understands how systems, politics, marketing, and public health collide.
Every conversation teaches them something new. Every event strengthens their resolve. Vanessa is becoming not just a Community Health Worker—but a systems thinker, a listener, and a protector of youth who haven’t found their voice yet.
Their internship at Open Door Health Center taught them one of the most valuable lessons of their career: slow down and observe before jumping in. Eagerness to help is powerful—but understanding someone’s needs, fears, and barriers builds trust.
Shadowing staff, working towards their MNsure Navigator certification, and learning how a Federally Qualified Health Center operates helped them see just how many people struggle quietly—not because they are unwilling to seek help, but because help often feels out of reach.
That realization deepened their commitment to addressing barriers like insurance access, affordability, and the shame people feel when they don’t know where to turn.
Vanessa knows vaping isn’t just a respiratory issue. It’s a mental health issue, a developmental issue, and a systemic one. The effects on the prefrontal cortex—attention, emotion regulation, decision-making—hit teens at the most vulnerable point in their development. Many of the kids turning to nicotine are desperately trying to soothe anxiety or stress, unaware that nicotine intensifies the very symptoms they’re trying to escape.
“That,” Vanessa says, “is what angers me most.”
Their work with the Love Your Lungs campaign is an act of defiance against systems that fail young people. It is also an act of compassion—an effort to give teens the truth, the tools, and the adults who will show up for them.
The more Vanessa serves the Coalition, the more their purpose crystallizes. They want to help people feel seen. They want to eliminate fear around seeking care. They want their community to know that nobody should have to ignore their health because they cannot afford help.
And more than anything, they want people to know that change doesn’t have to be enormous to be meaningful. It starts with one voice. One event. One conversation.
Those small ripples become waves.
As Vanessa continues their journey as a future Community Health Worker, they carry with them the courage to ask hard questions, the willingness to stand up for youth, and the humility to listen deeply before acting.
They believe a better world is possible—one where every person has access to mental health support, affordable medical care, nutritious food, and safe housing. A world where youth can grow without the shadow of addiction. A world shaped by people who care enough to try.
“I hope our community sees that we’re trying,” they say. “And that every effort matters—even the small ones.”