During the week of Oct. 21, the Cupertino Associated Student Body (ASB) held a breast cancer awareness week at Cupertino High School, during which students engaged in daily activities to raise awareness about breast cancer.
Said Jonathan Dinh, a junior and the ASB secretary, “[breast cancer] is one of the most common types of cancer, and it’s impacted many members of the community, which is why we educate the student body about it.”
This year, Cupertino ASB’s Campus Link (C-Link) Commissioners — Nina Mobe (junior), Chiyo McMullin (senior), Nicole Ownbey (junior), and Grace Olumofin (junior) — were in charge of planning and hosting a breast cancer awareness week during October, which was breast cancer awareness month.
Said Junior Nicole Ownbey, a C-Link Commissioner, “We [first] organized a schedule, and [then] interviewed teachers who had experienced the challenges of breast cancer firsthand.”
Breast cancer awareness week started with “Ribbon Monday,” on which pink ribbons were handed out to students in the quad, and “Face Paint Tuesday,” during which students could go to the CHS quad to receive a painted pink ribbon on their face. Wednesday was “Wear Pink Wednesday,” where students wore pink to spread breast cancer awareness and gathered in the quad to take photos. Thursday was “Mystery Game Thursday,” on which students participated in a water balloon toss game. On Friday, the football game was “pink-out” themed, where fans wore pink, and pink decorations and posters could be seen in the stands. A fundraiser was also held to raise money for the Bryant Family, whose daughter, Ariel Bryant (Class of 2009), was recently diagnosed with grade 4 Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Over $1900 was raised, which was used to pay for her medical bills and a device to slow down the cancer.
When planning breast cancer awareness week, the commissioners encountered a variety of challenges.
Said Ownbey, “The biggest difficulty of this event was the timing. [C-Link] was also in charge of organizing the Blood Drive, which happened [the] Monday after Breast Cancer Awareness week, so we were promoting and planning both events at the same time.”
When reflecting about his thoughts regarding breast cancer awareness week, Dinh said, “The most rewarding part was seeing the bleachers decked out in pink and seeing cheer, football, dance, band, and color guard all come together on the final day of breast cancer awareness week. Also, seeing how generous people were when donating to the Bryant family [was rewarding too].”
Ownbey reflected upon the event as well and said, “My favorite part was how much it opened my eyes and how much admiration and respect I developed for the people who are fighting breast cancer. [This] week opened my eyes in ways that I would never have expected and I hope that the rest of the student body has experienced this incredible new awareness as well.”
Overall, Cupertino ASB’s breast cancer awareness week was able to spread breast cancer awareness to many students at CHS. In the years to come, as the campus link ASB commissioners hold more breast cancer awareness weeks, students at CHS will continue to be educated about breast cancer.