Franklin Sherman Elementary Curriculum: Inside SGA President Amelia Cho’s Food Initiative
- Inspiring Teens Magazine
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Amelia Cho – Virginia
Nomination by Sunmin Lee
Photography by Lia Hair
Issue 99 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
Franklin Sherman Elementary Curriculum: Inside SGA President Amelia Cho’s Food Initiative
Nomination: Amelia Cho is a youth leader passionate about food advocacy, leadership, and sustainability. Through her own endeavors with food, she has advanced her passion into Mindful Meals, organizing over 3,580 pounds of fresh, sustainable food donations, and providing food education by co-authoring five children's books currently used for a six-week after-school curriculum at Franklin Sherman Elementary School. In addition to her personal work, Amelia is an active leader who works to advance food sustainability initiatives as the president of both the Class Council and the Student Government Association at her high school.
What inspiring qualities or accomplishments weren’t highlighted in your nomination?
Food education is a large priority for Mindful Meals. However, the impact of food choices on health and lifestyle is not discussed as widely as it should be. Knowing this, I wanted to raise more awareness about food, especially among the young generation, to help them develop healthy habits early. This sparked me to collaborate with Mediquills, a medical literacy organization, to publish 5 children’s books about food, sustainability, and health, called “How Does it Work: The Intersection of Public Health and Nutrition for Kids.” We are excited to donate these to various community centers and libraries across the country!
What else would you like to talk about?
Mindful Meals started its official after-school program at Franklin Sherman Elementary School on January 15! It is a 6-week program that covers a range of topics in food, including culture, school lunch, cooking, sustainability, and utilizing food to give back to the community. As the founder and organizer of the program, it is a full-circle moment to teach such a bright group of students. Food is often overlooked in education, and I am extremely excited to lead a course and teach the significance and importance of health, culture, and the climate to K-6th-grade students!
What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
As an ambitious sustainable food advocate, I could discuss the importance of prioritizing a diet that is both healthy for people and the earth for days! An individual’s ecological footprint is a major factor in climate change, revealing the lifestyle that requires energy in practices that can challenge sustainability. Food production, especially red meat, is a significant contributor to a high footprint due to its intensive production methods. By prioritizing low-energy-intensive foods like vegetables and fruits, more people will be able to create an everyday food palette that is both fresh for their bodies and the planet!
How did you find your photographer and what did you love most about the experience?
I met my photographer through one of my favorite hair salons, Lia Hair, who kindly offered an additional service to capture a photo of me after my beautiful haircut. My favorite part of the experience was how patient and comforting they were. Their kind gestures helped me to embrace my most confident self in the moment!
What is a favorite memory with or thoughts of the person who nominated you?
My favorite memory with my nominator, my mother, is our spontaneous recipe-making days every weekend. We start by compiling a list of the most intriguing recipes from social media, then bake or experiment with new ingredients to expand our food palette! This small yet fulfilling tradition of ours has allowed me to learn more about plant-forward eating, as well as various cultural dishes, making food a meaningful part of our everyday lives.
Franklin Sherman Elementary Curriculum: Inside SGA President Amelia Cho’s Food Initiative
Why do you want to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine?
I want to be a part of the Inspiring Teens Magazine to increase awareness about the importance of prioritizing healthy, sustainable food among other youth leaders across the country through my personal story. Prioritizing the connection between food and the Earth is critical for combating climate change, and progress is only promised if the young generation decides to take action. Food is a vital part of sustainability that is often overlooked. I believe that sharing my story will help others grow awareness of plant-forward eating and encourage them to take small steps to save the planet’s future.
If you win a scholarship, what will you do with the money?
If I win the Inspiring Teens Magazine Scholarship, I want to invest it in my passion for supporting environmentally sustainable food donations, as well as my future education in college. I would love to use a portion of the scholarship money to purchase more food for local food pantries in my neighborhood, in addition to the 3,580 pounds I have already supplied through Mindful Meals. In terms of my education, I hope to use it as a pathway to explore innovative approaches and detailed methods in sustainable agriculture to develop effective solutions to combat climate change.
Look for Amelia in issue 99 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!
*Interviews are not edited after received from our inspiring teens - what you read is who they genuinely are!
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