Girl Scout receives Gold Award for vaping prevention podcast

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Forty-five Colorado Girl Scouts earned the Gold Award, the highest honor in the organization.

Celeste Fullerton is one of the 45 recipients of the award. She is being recognized for her vaping prevention program and podcast that address its dangers.

“Hi, my name is Celeste, and I’m doing a podcast for adolescents explaining the effects on what we know vaping nicotine does to the lungs,” said Celeste.

Celeste, a member of the Colorado Girl Scouts for almost nine years, will be presented with a Gold Award.

“When I first started, I was not expecting to get this award at all,” added Celeste.

The Gold Award is presented to Girl Scouts who address issues the community faces, such as vaping. Celeste said many high schoolers are vaping, and she used to be one of those.

“I am doing this podcast because I used to be addicted to nicotine, and after I quit, I realized how much it negatively took a toll on me physically and mentally,” shared Celeste.

Her goal is to make an impact on other teenagers. She said her peers may vape because they aren’t fully educated on the dangers.

“Another reason is because everyone else is doing it, and they feel like maybe I should try it too,” explained Celeste. “What’s all the hype about.”

The podcast focuses on underage youth and the short and long-term effects that it has on the lungs, like pulmonary illness.

“Everyone knows that cigarettes are bad for you, and nobody really knows vaping is bad for you and that think it’s way better for you, and right now we are in that stage that we think vaping is healthy when it is not,” said Celeste.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado youth vapes nicotine at twice the national average and at the highest rate in 37 states surveyed.

Celeste surveyed a number of her peers who vape and those who don’t, and she found out in her study, “Basically the same answer came: I don’t care what happens to me because it hasn’t happened to them yet.”

She said the community is doing a fine job in educating students on the adverse effects, but “It’s obviously never enough, but I think it’s hard when teachers and parents are trying to get the word out versus kids because if kids are getting the word out, then people are actually going to get scared. They will probably listen better.”