Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2016 11 goodKID Equipped with wisdom beyond her years, Sammie decided that taking action begins with her. “It makes me smarter about how I present myself and go about doing things and how I view media. I think it’s really affected what kind of music I listen to; if you think of what they convey in music and how they present women, it’s really vulgar. That really stuck with me,” she says. “Also, TV’s over-sexualization of minors actually makes me nauseous.” Sammie has taken that message into the community, focusing on the problem in Texas and in Dallas specifically. She spoke eloquently at an NFNL forum as a moderator influencing judges, FBI agents and lawyers on human trafficking legislation. Sammie was alsotheDallasyouthrepresentative at the recent NFNL Wings Gala, speaking without any notes to 1700 people. She says, “I want the public to know that we as youth have a voice.” O’Connor is very proud of Sammie. “She is an exceptional young lady,” she says. “We know that all the girls in her class will take this type of thinking to college and either start an organization or join an existing one. We’re planting seeds.” Sammie says she was inspired by her two older sisters, one of whom graduated from Irma Rangel. “It’s a strong community,” she says. “There are people here to back you up and help you achieve what you want to achieve.” As a result of her leadership skills and scholastic achievement, Sammie was chosen by the U.S. State Department to spend time in a country where English is not taught. As for her future plans, “I want to go to law school,” she says. “That’s definitely for me.” Forhervision,insightandcommitmenttocreatingawareness about human sex trafficking, we award Sammie Casas our Good Kid Award and a $250 scholarship to use as she wishes. A gifted and passionate speaker, Sammie acted as moderator alongside former Senator Florence Shapiro at the NFNL Nest Curriculum Forum at SMU in February. She and her classmates from the Irma RangelYoung Women’s Leadership School were among the first in the nation to learn the curriculum inspired by the documentary, Playground:TheChildSexTradeinAmerica (see related story on page 12). THE IRMA RANGEL YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP SCHOOL The Irma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School was the first public all-girls school in Texas and is a member of the Young Women's Preparatory Network (comprised of seven all-girls public schools in Texas, making it the largest such network in the nation). It is the mission of the school to ensure that 100% of its students attend and graduate from college, ready to succeed in all fields, particularly: science, technology, math, leadership and wellness. Its motto is Girls Today, Women Tomorrow, Leaders Forever. “We are proud to be the largest network of all-girls public schools in the nation with Irma Rangel as the foundation of our work as it was the first of its kind to open in Texas. The school’s leadership, the dedicated teachers and the hard-working students—including Sammie—contribute to the long legacy that make this school one of the top in the nation. The students' hard work, dedication, perseverance and leadership against adversity and other obstacles make them successful. It’s even more remarkable when you consider that 82% of the Class of 2016 will be a first-generation college student.“ - Lynn McBee, CEO, Young Women’s Preparatory Network TheGoodKidAwardispresentedtoastudentaged12to21whodisplaysexemplarycharacter,courageandpersonalvaluesand,who,withoutaskingforattentionfortheirefforts, causes others to take notice. For their genuine commitment to helping a person, organization and/or their community, the winner of the Good Kid Award receives a Certificate of Achievement and a $250 scholarship. To nominate a student for this prestigious award, go to goodlifefamilymag.com or email Tricia White, Managing Editor, at Tricia@goodlifefamilymag.com.