Schools
Strawberry Crest Students Help Raise Breast Cancer Awareness
Project Pink's mission is to support and give hope to women by raising awareness for breast cancer, its prevention and treatment methods.
DOVER, FL — This year, a team of four sophomores — Aditi Nair, Anika Prasad, Elizabeth Chettipally and Netra Vijay — at Strawberry Crest High School chose to compete in HOSA's Community Awareness event.
HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) is a global student-led organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health with a mission to empower future health professionals to become leaders in the international health community.
HOSA's Community Awareness event allows members to educate the community about a health issue they find prominent. The team Project Pink chose to raise awareness for breast cancer.
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Unfortunately, one in eight women in the United States develop breast cancer sometime in life. Breast cancer continues to grow and is one of females' leading causes of death. As young women, the high school students saw this struggle and decided to make a change.
"We first felt the urge when we were personally affected by this cause, as one of our team members lost a family member last year to this deadly threat after a long fierce battle," Prasad said. "We wanted to support others going through similar struggles. Though we all know of the pink ribbon, we see a lack of proper awareness in our community, schools and daily lives. Still, several women are reluctant to seek medical advice due to the social stigma and fear of losing their female identity. With 684,996 deaths worldwide caused by breast cancer in 2020 alone, we took it upon ourselves to change how our community views breast cancer. It's our goal to see the day when breast cancer is cured, but until then, it's our job to make the change."
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Project Pink's mission is to raise awareness for breast cancer, its prevention and treatment methods and get the community involved in making a change by breaking the social stigma, giving women hope and empowering them.
"To accomplish our goals, we launched Project Pink through a schoolwide Pink Out day and published an article in our school newspaper Crest Critique," Prasad said. "Due to the topic's sensitivity, our team moved forward in a very personal, safe and informed way. To gain the best understanding in a manner that is both informative and discreet, we first educated ourselves by gathering informational materials and training models from Moffitt Cancer Center, talking to Dr. Sachdev, a primary care physician, and Dr. Robinson, an assistant professor at USF, who is a breast cancer survivor and advocate. Then, to delve into the specifics, we attended a webinar by Ms. Shivan, a medical student at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Through these discussions, our team realized that women survivors need a robust support system to reclaim their feminine identity."
To educate people, the students made brochures and display boards about breast cancer, its signs, symptoms, support groups, etc. They collaborated with Cory Lake Isles by setting up a booth and connecting with an older crowd. Then, they targeted the middle age group by setting up a display table at local libraries.
They also published a website and launched Instagram and YouTube channels to educate the youth.
They partnered with the Crest HOSA chapter and other school clubs by giving presentations with quick facts and urging the importance of early detection. The students distributed pamphlets and posted infographics and posters on bulletin boards in community and throughout school.
The team conducted virtual workshops about self-exams and what to do if you have a sign or symptom. They also partnered with several schools, universities, professional parks, businesses, malls and supermarkets, sharing their flyers and interacting with people.
The partnerships they established truly shaped the project, specifically, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, where they are working with their HOPE Kit program.
Project Pink has reached out to over 14,000 people.
"It's an astonishing number, and we have big plans for continuing the movement," Prasad said. "Our project won first place in the district, and we will attend the state competition in April. We want women to understand what's going on with their bodies and health to help them make informed decisions."
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