Who are the OSBHA Student Health Advocates?
Youth voice is a critical priority for us at the Oregon-School Based Health Alliance (OSBHA). Student Health Advocates (SHA) promote the value of school-based health across Oregon. OSBHA offers this leadership opportunity to young people in high school and college across Oregon who are interested in becoming a voice not only for their own health but for the health of their peers and community
What do Student Health Advocates do?
What do Student Health Advocates do?
- Advocate for local and statewide school-based health centers
- Advocate for health equity and social justice legislative efforts
- Attends listening sessions
- Provide feedback
- Participate in OSBHA events, such as School Health Advocacy Day and OSBHA's annual conference
- Work effectively within diverse communities and settings
How do I connect with the Student Health Advocates for an event, workshop, or training?
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with OSBHA Student Health Advocates, please contact Asia Gates, Youth Engagement Coordinator, at asia@osbha.org.
How do I become a Student Health Advocate?
The 2023-2024 cohort application is live on September 6th, 2023, and can be found here. The application deadline is September 30th, 2023 at 5pm PDT. If you have any questions, check out our FAQ page.
Benefits of becoming a Student Health Advocate:
- Leadership opportunities
- Positive impact on your community
- Relationship and team-building skills
- Policy advocacy skills
- Deepened relationship to social justice
Meet our 2022 - 2023 Student Health Advocates Cohort:
Abigail Cook (she/her) | Portland State University
Abigail values health and people having resources. In the future, she wants to work within schools to advocate for students as a Social Worker. She felt like this was a great place to start. Abigail is currently studying sociology with a minor in Gender and Sexuality. She is involved in LGBTQ, and Sociology related activities within school. Abigail likes to listen to audiobooks and podcasts, and also likes to create art.
Jezreel Gaad (she/her) | David Douglas High SchoolJezreel hopes to bring empathy, allyship, and advocacy so she can best help the people she serves. Jezreel wants to gain more experience in the health field and gain valuable skills while being a Student Health Advocate so she can continue to carry on in her future career. She plans to attend medical or pharmacy school to become a medical researcher or doctor for cancer and/or Alzheimers. In her school, she is founder and president of HOSA, president of Red Cross club, board member of NHS, member of ASU, member of student council, and member of the Wind Ensemble and Symphony. She also enjoys volunteering at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center on the weekend. She loves reading, listening to music, growing plants, and traveling!
Priya Gadhe (she/her) | Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering
As an aspiring healthcare professional, Priya’s interests in science, service, and advocacy form the perfect synergy to drive change in our community as a student health advocate. Priya looks forward to building more powerful experiences working with underrepresented communities and studying the factors contributing to healthcare inequity. She is passionate about public health and hopes to study this further! She has contributed to published research at AASPIRE, an autism research lab at PSU, and she is also a licensed advocate and writer at SARC (sexual assault resource center). At school, Priya is VP of leadership in HOSA and Committee Chair at MUN! She likes to hang out with her friends, and go on coffee runs :)
To Katie, the main goal of being a member of SHA is to advocate for and promote student-based health centers, which are centers that improve access and health outcomes for students. One value she finds important in life is equity in access to opportunities, which can’t be accomplished if you are missing basic needs, such as health care. In the future, Katie hopes to work in the STEM field. She is still discovering her passions and what makes her excited in this area, but one thing she does know is that she would like to pursue a career that aligns with both her interests and personal values. Outside of SHA, Katie volunteers at OMSI, is a member of her local library’s teen council and plays tennis throughout the year both at a club and for her school team. In her free time, Katie likes to play guitar, crochet, and read.
Alessandra Lee (she/her) | Cleveland High SchoolAlessandra has always cared about social justice and how marginalized groups are disproportionately influenced by social issues, such as disparities in healthcare. Her goal is to promote better access to healthcare services and spread awareness of the importance of having access to healthcare and health-related education. She is not sure about what kind of career she wants to pursue in the future, but she would like to go to college after high school and stay involved in social justice work. Alessandra is involved in student government as the Publicity Representative for the Executive Council, and she is also a member of the Cleveland Alliance for Racial Equity. She is part of her school's theater program, as well as many clubs and affinity groups, such as AAPI, SAGA, Youth Action Council, and Pigmice. In her free time, Alessandra likes to listen to music, draw, crochet, knit, read, and watch TV shows.
Corinne Markus (She/her/hers) | Cleveland High SchoolCorinne is super passionate about accessible health care and reproductive health rights! Being a student health advocate is a way she can advocate for the change she wants to see! Corinne wants to be a holistic health specialist for women and people with uteruses! She wants to teach women and people with uteruses how to work with their bodies- not against them. Corinne is also involved with Planned Parenthood Teen Council, OSBHA board, and the All In My Head podcast for teen mental health! In her free time, she likes getting coffee or tea with friends, thrifting, and eating mochi!
Zoey Mcknight | Sam Barlow High SchoolZoey is passionate about access to mental health care, preventative care, and advocating for health education so people can make informed consent. Being a Student Health Advocate gives Zoey a place to advocate for what they are passionate about and learn from others about their passions/experiences. Zoey hopes to have a career in social work to work with and advocate for people in marginalized communities. Zoey is part of the Gresham Youth Advisory Council, writes for the school’s newspaper, and is in the school’s book club. Zoey enjoys volunteering, doing crafts, and playing with their cat.
Sandra Piedad (she/her) | University of PortlandSandra sees SHA connecting to her goal of going to graduate school to pursue physical therapy by understanding health advocacy to advocate for her patients' health and wellness. Holistic care is her main priority as a future healthcare practitioner, which fits well with health advocacy. Sandra is involved in UP Club basketball, UP Intramural Volleyball, UP IHW Club Member, & UP International Club member. In her spare time, she likes cultivating her friendships and relationships. She also enjoys traveling, physical activity, drawing, spending time with family, photography, videography, and eating out.
Elle Schreiner | Sandy High School Service is something Sandy has always valued. As a Student Health Advocate, Elle is able to make a difference and advocate for those who are in uncontrollable circumstances. Elle hopes to be able to improve services for everyone in need. Elle plans on graduating from high school with an Associate's Degree and continuing education at an undergraduate school. Elle would like to earn a degree in Microbiology and Immunology and advance to medical school to become a dermatologist. Elle is a ski racer on the Sandy High School Ski Team along with being a grade representative for the high school's HOSA Future Health Professionals chapter. Elle is a member of Key Club and National Honor Society and is on the school's tennis team. Outside of school, Elle enjoys skiing, playing board games with family, and listening to music on a record player.
Lekhana Vaddadi (she/her) | Westview High SchoolLekhana’s goal in being a Student Health Advocate is to use her voice and make sure healthcare is available to everyone, especially for youth. She wants to expand her knowledge in the healthcare field and also help implement more student-based healthcare centers throughout Oregon. Her future aspirations are to attend college and become a physician! She is involved with HOSA, soccer, speech and debate, piano, and volunteering at OMSI and Kaiser. Lekhana likes to watch a show on Netflix or go out with her friends!
Sophie Wang (she/her/hers) | Beaverton Academy of Science and EngineeringSophie is very passionate about advocating for equity in healthcare, which is exactly why being a Student Health Advocate fulfills her mission. Through SHA, Sophie can not only be given a platform and community to express her ideas, but also provide healthcare access towards her fellow student peers. In the future, Sophie strives to intersect healthcare with technology to help combat disparities in healthcare for marginalized communities. She aims to conduct research that involves laboratory work and strives to continue to spread her love for science to those around her! In addition to being a member of SHA, she is the VP of Outreach for her HOSA chapter and co-founder of her own Science Fair club. Sophie volunteers with OMSI, where she presents science-related demos and curates her own educational videos. She is also a competitive dancer as well as a pianist!
Haven Wenzel (he/him) | Central High School Haven is a Junior at Central High School who joined SHA to make a difference in the health of his community. He is interested in public policy, and wants to go to college for architecture or engineering in order to create accessible and healthy communities for all. Haven likes staying busy; he’s passionate about swimming for his High School team and club team, in addition to running track and field. He’s part of Model UN, Chess Club, NHS, and the Robotics Club. When he's not trying to race his teammates, he likes to hang with friends, critique food, bike, woodwork, and do anything outdoors.
Justin Wong | University of PortlandJustin connects being a SHA with the goals of learning what happens on the ground of advocating for policies that improve health outcomes and gives people greater access to healthcare, such as school-based health centers. Justin’s future aspirations are to graduate college and work to become a legislator. Justin is involved with the Integrative Health and Wellness Club, swing dancing, martial arts, and various church groups. Justin likes to spend time playing guitar, singing, binge-watching shows, and hanging out with family and friends.
Tracy Zhen (she/her) | Benson Polytechnic High SchoolTracy believes being a Student Health Advocate lets students work effectively within diverse communities and settings and promotes the value of school-based health centers across Oregon. This is important to her because she is impassioned about advocating for impact and working with people in a diverse environment. Her aspiration is to graduate high school and attend her dream college to pursue a career related to healthcare, like public health, nursing, or environmental sciences. She is involved with the Multnomah Youth Commission (MYC). MYC is the official youth body policy for both Multnomah County and the City of Portland. During her free time, she likes to spend time with her family, watch Korean dramas, and listen to music while journaling.
