Silver Champion for Change Award-Winner for 2012
Our Very Own — Bryan Lam

Bryan Lam was selected to receive the 2012 Silver Champion for Change Award from the Network for Healthy California (Network) for his work with the University Health Champions Program. Bryan was honored with this award at the Network's annual statewide conference in Sacramento this past March. The mission of the Network is to create innovative partnerships that empower low-income Californians to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and food security with the goal of preventing obesity and other diet related chronic diseases.

Bryan is a senior at UCSD studying Urban Studies, Physiology and Neuroscience. He has been an active and inspiring health advocate for low-resource youth in the San Diego region for over two years. On top of his studies, volunteer tutoring and training for his next marathon, he created a student-run organization at UCSD called University Health Champions (UHC), modeled after Rady Childrens' Health Champions Program. Bryan's vision was to create an after school program for low-resource teens from the City Heights community. The free program, a partnership with Rady Children's Center for Healthier Communities and the Health Champions Program, offers resources, education, advocacy training, and leadership development for youth, in order to create and sustain healthier lifestyles for themselves, their families and the entire community. Bryan recruited fellow college students to volunteer their time as facilitators for this program. The college-age students, being close in age to the high school youth, offer a peer-to-peer approach to the student participants, creating a safe, encouraging program. Congratulations Bryan!