Empowering Youth for Public Health: Students Lead the Fight Against HPV

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Sophie Wang. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Sophie Wang is making a profound impact in public health through her leadership in the Youth HPV Champions initiative, an organization she co-founded to educate and advocate for HPV prevention. With support from the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, Sophie has trained nearly 30 students as facilitators to help spread awareness about HPV, fostering a youth-led movement dedicated to breaking stigmas and increasing vaccination rates.

Sophie’s ability to mobilize and inspire young leaders has rapidly expanded the initiative, engaging over 850 youth in just one year, making it the largest geographically-reaching youth HPV program in the Pacific Northwest. Under her leadership, Youth HPV Champions has developed Oregon’s first HPV awareness toolkit, a resource that guides students and educators in hosting HPV events and increasing vaccination outreach. This toolkit has been distributed to 36 schools, with over 500 additional copies shared with healthcare professionals, students and teachers through OHSU.

Beyond educational materials, Sophie and her team have organized community-wide efforts, including 41 tabling events, school presentations and outreach efforts, reaching over 3,800 individuals. The initiative has also hosted an annual summit conference at OHSU’s Knight Cancer Research Building, bringing together over 200 attendees for keynote speeches, workshops and training sessions led by national HPV experts. Additionally, Sophie has built a sustainable framework for youth advocacy by training 64 students as Youth HPV Champions Ambassadors. These students have gone on to establish HPV awareness chapters in 31 schools across three states—Oregon, Washington and Illinois.

Sophie has been recognized at the national level for her contributions, invited to deliver 12 speeches at major public health events, school assemblies and health fairs. Her efforts have also been acknowledged through prestigious accolades, including becoming a 2025 Coca-Cola Scholar, a National Honor Society Scholarship National Finalist and an Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship Quarter-Finalist. In addition, her research abstract, “Youth Are the Future, So What Are They Saying About HPV?” has been accepted for an oral presentation at the 2025 National HPV Conference.

Tell us about your volunteer role.

I’m the co-founder of Youth HPV Champions, an initiative partnered with the Oregon Health and Science University Knight Cancer Institute focused on educating, advocating and promoting HPV prevention and awareness among youth. I have dedicated nearly two years to leading this initiative, earning me several accolades. Through my work with Youth HPV Champions, we developed Oregon’s first-ever HPV toolkit, which provides comprehensive resources for hosting awareness events and encouraging vaccinations. Additionally, our initiative has engaged more than 2,000 people by tabling and presenting at community events, helping to grow the initiative into the largest youth-led HPV education movement in the Pacific Northwest.

Why is this issue so important to you?

I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of this preventable disease within my loved ones, seeing
close peers who chose not to get vaccinated develop cancer as a result. Beyond the personal toll, there’s
a pervasive stigma surrounding HPV that makes it difficult for youth to talk openly about the topic, even
though it is crucial for their health.

HPV can be seen as taboo or uncomfortable to discuss, yet it’s a conversation we must have to prevent future cancers. The work we are doing through Youth HPV Champions is so important because it breaks down these barriers, encouraging young people to have these critical conversations, get vaccinated and ultimately protect their health and tackle the global cancer burden.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

I actually attended an HPV conference organized by a previous student in my community. At that event, I realized the potential for something much bigger—a sustained initiative that could unite youth voices across Oregon to fight for HPV awareness and vaccination. I was struck by how this important topic hadn’t had an organized, youth-led effort to tackle it in the Pacific Northwest.

I wanted to change that. I wanted to turn a one-time conference into a movement, one that could start in Oregon and expand beyond borders to include schools and communities across multiple states. Additionally, in my own high school experience, I noticed a major gap—while HIV and cancer were regularly discussed in health classes, HPV was strangely absent. This hole in my curriculum fueled my determination to spearhead an initiative that would fill such educational gaps.

Tell us about partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.

We are organizing our annual Spring Conference at the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Research Building scheduled for March 10, attracting over 100 attendees and featuring expert speakers in the healthcare field. As part of my leadership, I also have recruited and hosted a training conference for over 40 youth members from grades 9-12, equipping them to become Youth HPV Champions leaders and establish HPV awareness chapters in schools across Oregon. Additionally, our abstract titled “Youth Are the Future, So What Are They Saying About HPV,” which was accepted for an oral presentation at the 2025 National HPV Conference, highlighting our initiative’s work.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

Looking ahead, one of our key goals is to expand the reach of our organization and have a measurable
impact on HPV vaccination rates. We’re in the process of implementing data collection tools that will allow us to track the direct effect of our outreach on vaccination rates, which will be critical for demonstrating the tangible benefits of our efforts.

Our ultimate goal is to see our organization not only become a leading force in the Pacific Northwest but also to go global, creating an international network of youth advocates working to eliminate HPV-related cancers worldwide. The dream is to foster a generation of young people who are empowered with knowledge, breaking down the barriers that have long existed around HPV and reproductive-causing cancers and ensuring that future generations are vaccinated and protected.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Planning and organizing our upcoming conference scheduled for March. The planning process has been demanding, yet seeing it come together has been incredibly fulfilling. We’ve received over 100 sign-ups, and we’re bringing together a lineup of amazing guest speakers, workshops and merchandise, all with the goal of furthering HPV awareness and advocacy.

The student booths, led by our chapter ambassadors, will allow youth to share their stories and engage with attendees, which will bring our community even closer. Watching the entire Youth HPV Champions network—students, educators, healthcare professionals and advocates—come together for a shared cause has been such a rewarding experience. It’s moments like this that reaffirm why this work is so important.

Why is it important for others, especially youth, to get involved with causes they care about?

It’s critical for others to get involved in causes they care about because passion and commitment aren’t limited by age. Young people often underestimate their power to influence change, but I’ve seen firsthand that if you care about something deeply, your passion can fuel you to make a tangible difference—and you’ll find others who share that passion. The more people who get involved, the more collective power we have to address challenges and create real change. When youth come together, it creates a transformative ripple effect that’s positively contagious. We need more of it!

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

My advice to anyone wanting to lead their own initiative is simple: just go for it, and find a team. There are other youth out there who care just as much as you do about the issues you’re passionate about—you just have to find them. Whether it’s through social media, community organizations or local events, connecting with like-minded individuals is the first step to building something meaningful.

Starting a cause or project on your own can feel overwhelming, but with the right team, you can amplify your efforts and achieve something much greater than you could alone. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and take that first step—the people you need are waiting to join you.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I want people to understand that youth-led advocacy is not only possible but essential. Tackling challenging topics like HPV, which can feel uncomfortable or taboo, is a vital part of the work we must do as the next generation of leaders. We need young people who are willing to take charge of these tough conversations, spark curiosity and inspire their peers to take action. I hope that my story shows others that what you’re advocating for should never be an obstacle in fighting for what’s right. The work we’re doing is about empowering youth to lead, challenging the status quo and ultimately changing the narrative around HPV. HPV vaccination is cancer prevention, and together, we can build a world where HPV-related cancers are a thing of the past.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Sophie? Find local volunteer opportunities.