HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson High School’s Hailey Kisner was recently selected to receive the 2019 Taking Down Tobacco Trainer of the Year Award. Kisner is a member of the Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Chapter.

The award is given to a student who has engaged in the Taking Down Tobacco and Train the Trainer programs and highlights the advocacy skills they have received from the training. Applicants must complete the Taking Down Tobacco training, be a registered trainer, and be an FCCLA member in order to receive the $1,000 award.

Kisner’s experience with FCCLA includes participating in the National STAR Event illustrated talk, where she presented the topic “Keeping JUULs Out of Schools.” The HHS senior has spoken to more than 45 school districts and 300 superintendents, teachers, principals and students about the dangers of the popular cigarette and has used the Taking Down Tobacco presentation to do so.

Kisner credits her experience as an FCCLA member as being critical to her current and future success.

“After seeing many of my peers fall victim to the popular JUUL e-cigarettes, I decided to create a back-to-school campaign,” she said. “I was soon connected to several school districts and the media ran a story that aired across the state.”

“Within days, I received several speaking engagement requests. I am thankful to be a resource for so many of my peers and I want people to be a more-informed advocate.”

The Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a national organization that helps students become leaders and address important personal, family, work and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. FCCLA has more than 164,000 members and more than 5,300 chapters from 49 state associations, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.