By LISA PHILLIPS

Albemarle Regional Health Services

Angel Hill, a recent graduate of Columbia High School, is the recipient of the 2016 Dr. Alma S. Adams Scholarship for Outreach and Health Communications to Reduce Tobacco Use Among Priority Populations sponsored by the Truth Initiative.

Hill, President of the Columbia High School TRU Club (Tobacco.Reality.Unfiltered) received the competitive scholarship, despite the numerous applications from students throughout the United States. “The review panel determined that Angel’s application was outstanding enough to merit an honorable mention $1,000 award,” stated Ann Taylor, Executive Vice President; Community Youth Engagement in an email to Hill.

This year, Hill led the TRU youth movement at her school and delivered presentations on the importance of smoke-free parks to the Tyrrell County School Board, Martin-Tyrrell-Washington Board of Health, and the Tyrrell County Commissioners.  On June 6, at a public hearing, the commissioners voted unanimously to pass an ordinance supporting smoke-free county parks.

Hill intends to enroll this fall at North Carolina Central University in Durham.

This annual scholarship competition empowers and supports students eager to help the Truth Initiative achieve a generation for whom tobacco use is a thing of the past. Scholarship awards recognize individuals who demonstrate commitment to community service and use the creative arts to help reduce tobacco use in priority populations.

The scholarship program is named for Dr. Alma S. Adams, a gifted artist, public servant and founding board member of Truth Initiative who is currently serving as a member of Congress representing North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District.

For more information about the TRU program, contact Lisa Phillips, the Tobacco Free Living Coordinator with Albemarle Regional Health Services for the Partnerships to Improve Community Health, at 252-475-5077.