A College of Applied Sciences and Arts Health Science student who graduated in December from San José State University has been selected as a youth activism fellow for a nonprofit that is dedicated to reducing tobacco usage among youth, according to an article featured in the Mercury News .

Isra Ahmad will be researching the use of hookah and e-cigarettes in and around San Jose State University for Legacy, a nonprofit dedicated to create the first tobacco-free generation. According to statistics from Legacy, 44.7 percent of high school students have tried a cigarette and 15.8 percent currently use cigarettes.  Their statistics show that 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking by 19 years of age and 99 percent by the age of 26.

Ahmad said she was interested in research on tobacco because of the pervasive use of tobacco in South Asian culture.

To read the full article on Ahmad, visit http://www.mercurynews.com/milpitas/ci_25135573/milpitas-native-selected-national-fellowship-study-e-cigarettes