Tell us more about your community service initiatives.

In June 2014, I was chosen to be the representative for the Los Angeles chapter of the Youth Advisory Board. Thanks to private sponsors of our community service initiative, Life Service Action, I got to go to Washington, DC, to participate in a leadership and advocacy training summit so that I could be better equipped to lead community service projects at my school. While there, I had a chance to meet U.S. Senator Harry Reid, got my picture taken with Senator Barbara Boxer, and met staff from Senator Diane Feinstein’s office and two members from the House of Representatives.

On that trip, I also met racecar drivers from Mazda Motorsports, which is one of the sponsors. They helped me learn about the dangers of distracted driving. At the end of the trip, I was asked to lead service projects at my school to raise awareness about distracted driving. I organized an event at my school to get kids aware of the dangers of distracted driving. So youth would be interested, I tried to make the event fun but informational. At the event, two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department talked about distracted driving and its consequences. A local car club also put some of their nicest cars on display. The informational booth had flyers with statistics about texting while driving. I also helped plan fun activities, including an obstacle course, for kids participating in the event. It was a big success, and I knew everyone walked away with a new perspective on distracted driving and texting while driving.

I was inspired, and I’m not stopping there!

What sort of activism have you been involved in lately?

Recently, I participated again in the H.O.P.E. event. I spoke to a crowd of kids about my project on distracted driving, and a driver from Mazda Motorsports was at the event to help spread the word about staying safe while on the road.

I want to get the word out to as many people as possible and make sure that kids are telling their older brothers and sisters, friends, and family members that distracted driving can hurt people of all ages. Now, even though I can't drive — and won't be driving for a long time — I care very much about stopping texting while driving. Texting while driving is the number one killer of teen drivers. If I can save at least one life, it would mean the world to me. I would achieve my goal.

Have you seen any changes at home?

What I’ve learned has also affected my family. I have an older brother who drives. After I participated in the summit in DC, I had a new awareness of the dangers of texting while driving. I noticed that my brother was texting while driving on the freeway. He is now breaking this habit because of my constant reminders about the dangers and the statistics. And my mother now hands her phone to me to text for her while she is driving — that helps to keep both of us safe.