Agamroop Kaur
2022 Barrie Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
San Ramon, CA
Agamroop Kaur’s advocacy work began in middle school when she noticed that every bathroom smelled like a candy store and many of her classmates were already hooked on Juul e-cigarettes. She made it her mission to educate her peers about the dangers of vaping and to stop the tobacco industry from targeting her generation.
A mental health advocate, Agamroop worked with her school’s health teacher to start a tobacco prevention program and helped curate her school district’s very first health class tobacco curriculum. She’s also worked on successful campaigns in five California cities and Contra Costa County to end the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, expand smoke-free policies, and limit tobacco retailers in youth-centered areas. After Agamroop’s forceful testimony before the California Senate Health Committee in support of a bill to end the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide, Governor Gavin Newsom invited her to the virtual bill signing ceremony. Agamroop has also served as both the Policy Committee Lead of the Stanford REACH Lab Youth Action Board and the Mental Health Subcommittee Lead of the California Youth Advocacy Network Youth Board of Directors.
Agamroop is a powerful communicator. She has authored op-eds and produced a documentary on the youth e-cigarette epidemic – titled "BIG Tobacco BIGGER Epidemic" – that won a prize in C-SPAN’s student documentary contest. She exemplifies the qualities of a new generation of leaders fighting for a healthier and more equitable future, and we are thrilled to honor her with the 2022 Barrie Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year Award.