Photo courtesy of Annie Zhang

Freshman Annie Zhang researches the representatives they were going to speak with. Zhang researched Senator Jill Schupp and representative Trish Gunby. While her partner in the project Maria Lung researched the bills they would be talking about. “I felt proud to be representing teens our age and knowing that the research would be for a good cause,” Zhang said.

A CBS report finds that 51% of Americans ages 18-29 say that they can change the world; 38% of that same group say they are already changing the world. Freshmen Maria Lung and Annie Zhang find themselves members of that 38% as they work to pass laws changing the way drug issues are handled.

“I want to change the world. I don’t know how or when, but eventually I want to leave an impact on the world,” Zhang said. “There are so many problems in the world, such as drugs. I don’t want to regret just being a bystander in the midst of it all.”

Lung and Zhang were chosen by teachers to attend Parkway’s Stand Up9 program, where 100 freshmen from all four Parkway High Schools came together to learn about being drug-free leaders.

“It was so much fun meeting other people from other districts and schools. Seeing the different personalities and people is crazy because they’re all ready to do something, they all want to make a difference,” Lung said.

While at Stand Up9, Lung and Zhang learned of a National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA) program that allows students to speak with and persuade a senator and a representative to advocate for bills they are in support of. Through this program, students were taught at a young age how they can make a difference in their community.

“I want to make a difference, Lung said. “I want to make the world a better place, but the world is scary,” Lung said. “I am a teenager. I am one person and the world is big, it can be intimidating. There are so many things that are not right and they are also big, so one person vs. the big world is scary.”

Lung and Zhang were the only students from any of the Parkway High Schools to be a part of the program.

“It was surprising that so few people [Parkway students] did the trip [to Jefferson City, Mo], but it made it more exciting,” Zhang said. “I felt proud to be representing Parkway and it made me more excited for the trip.”

Lung and Zhang chose bills about drugs and alcohol that Missouri has proposed. They hoped that Senator Jill Schupp and Representative Trish Gunby would support and work with them.

“I could never deal with the stress that politicians go through. The stress they have to go through to actually make a difference is crazy,” Lung said. “Those people are insanely awesome at some times and really mean [at]other [times],” Lung said. “They are awesome because [they’re] trying to make a difference and most people can’t do that. They are mean because, if you watch the political lectures, they’re just fighting and dissing each other.”

Lung and Zhang were required to research both the bills they wanted to bring up and the representatives they would be speaking with. Zhang researched the congresswomen while Lung researched the bills.

“We [wanted to know] if our congresswomen were more emotional or logical thinkers because that can affect our presentation. An emotional thinker would just understand and have that connection with people, but when [you’re] persuading a logical thinker, we would give them facts, charts and all the numbers there is to know,” Lung said.

Lung and Zhang chose bill SB 814, a senate bill that strives to give incarcerated people proper medical help when experiencing substance withdrawals.

“After looking through many of the bills, and talking through it. We thought that the prisoner bill is important because it takes into account the importance of prisoners, and giving them a second chance through that,” Zhang said.

The second bill Lung and Zhang chose to research, HB 1788, would require the Children’s Division to refer all cases in which pregnant mothers or infants who have illegal controlled substances in their systems to the Juvenile Office.

“I know a few people who were born on drugs and how it made a huge impact in their life. I think it’s terrible and have seen what it does to those people,” Lung said. “When I found [HB 1788] and saw what it did I was like ‘yes!’ This Is something that I can do and hopefully can make a difference.”

Lung and Zhang were supposed to travel to Jefferson City, Mo. with the other students to present to the congresswomen on why they should support these bills. That trip was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was excited for the trip and the unique opportunity. It got canceled last minute which only made it more disappointing since we had already done all the work and research to be put into this,” Zhang said.

Stand Up9 and the NCADA program have helped Lung and Zhang realize they want to make more of a difference in the world.

“This whole drug-free program, including Stand Up9, has opened me to a new set of opportunities,” Zhang said. “It has made me realize the importance of leadership skills in our community.”