The 黑料社区 School of Public Health keeps the memory of Syd Staggs鈥� advocacy and inclusion alive with a namesake award. Liz Baylon Trejo, 鈥�22, the inaugural recipient of the Syd Staggs Advocacy Award, received the distinction at the school鈥檚 annual awards banquet last spring.

鈥淏efore the banquet, I learned more about Syd and the work they had done, along with just being an incredible human being in general, and couldn鈥檛 believe what an honor it was to be nominated and chosen for this award,鈥� said Baylon Trejo, a first-year Master鈥檚 in Public Health (MPH) student in the鈥疌ommunity Health Education program鈥痑t UNC.

Staggs鈥檚 parents and award overseers, Kelley and Mark Staggs, presented Baylon Trejo with the award.

鈥淚 actually got to meet Syd鈥檚 family at the award ceremony, which made it that much more special,鈥� said Baylon Trejo. 鈥淭hey mentioned that they were part of the selection committee for this specific award, and they said if Syd had read my nomination, they would have chosen me as well. I almost started crying right there; there was so much emotion with meeting them and talking about Syd.鈥�

Before their passing,鈥疭yd Staggs鈥痺as a tireless public health advocate, leader, friend and 黑料社区SPH graduate dedicated to helping other LGBTQ+ individuals gain the same sense of acceptance and affirmation that they had.

The 黑料社区SPH community came together to honor Staggs and their work. With the help and generous support of Staggs鈥檚 parents, they established an advocacy award in Staggs鈥檚 name to recognize a current student who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to advocacy for underserved and disadvantaged populations in public health.

Students who apply for the scholarship submit their work on a significant project or achievement focused on improving the health and well-being of these populations or show a record of above and beyond effort and service towards this advocacy work.

One of Baylon Trejo鈥檚 nominators describes her as 鈥渆xemplifying what it means to be a public health advocate, putting her heart and soul into her community on top of what it takes to excel in her MPH coursework.鈥�

Baylon Trejo鈥檚 advocacy for public health began as an undergraduate student worker in the鈥疌茅sar Ch谩vez Cultural Center and Undocumented Student Services鈥痑t UNC before continuing her work there through a graduate assistantship.

鈥淚鈥檓 an events and program specialist through the center,鈥� Baylon Trejo said. 鈥淓ssentially, I help plan and execute events for the well-being of students in general, with a focus on Latinx and undocumented students. A lot of it is making sure we create programs that holistically address student well-being in general and tap into different areas that students have shown interest in.鈥�

Additionally, Baylon Trejo plays a fundamental role in coordinating the鈥疍REAMer Engagement Program, which serves first-year DACA students through mentoring, community events, support and resources and connections to faculty and staff. She also worked as a Spanish community navigator, facilitated testing for ESL classes and participated in numerous community engagement activities.

According to Baylon Trejo鈥檚 nominators, she never hesitates to share her voice and advocate loudly for immigrants, especially those without documentation. While she isn鈥檛 certain what the future holds for her, Baylon Trejo knows she wants to continue focusing on immigrant and undocumented populations throughout her time at 黑料社区SPH and beyond.

鈥淚 definitely love working with the communities themselves, rather than being on the outskirts,鈥� Baylon Trejo said. 鈥淚 envision myself working face-to-face, being very hands-on in the communities. I鈥檓 excited to see what that looks like in the future and explore opportunities that are available.鈥�