Aram "Becky" Oh hated to see the stronghold that tobacco had on some of her closest friends and family members.

Her friends at Excel High School in South Boston were well aware that cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco were unhealthy, and yet they used them anyway. Worse, Oh's grandfather smoked until he died - despite the cancer that had ravaged his lungs.

So when Oh had the chance to work for Heath Resources in Action during her senior year of high school, she enthusiastically grabbed the opportunity to fight the influence of tobacco by writing blogs, meeting with other youth leaders throughout the state, and helping to plan a rally in Boston aimed at curbing tobacco use among young people.

In recognition of those efforts, HRiA presented Oh with the organization's Youth Award, which is intended to celebrate the leadership and dedication of a young person who has been involved in helping to make their community, school or youth program a healthier place.

"It feels really great to receive this award," said Oh, 18, who is from Hyde Park. "It's nice to feel that with all the work I did, maybe I helped make a difference."

Shortly after Oh joined HRiA as an intern in October 2010, she wrote blogs and posted interactive messages on Facebook for The 84, a statewide movement managed by HRiA and funded by the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program that celebrates the fact that 84 percent of young people in Massachusetts do not smoke.

Oh took on a more visible leadership role when she helped coordinate The 84's statewide youth leadership team in planning the annual Kick Butts Day celebration in March 2011. She devised chants, slogans and T-shirts and helped lead more than 300 youth and adults in a march across the Boston Common to the Massachusetts State House. In addition, Oh testified at a Joint Committee hearing and met with state legislators, driving home the message that tobacco products are too attractive, too cheap and too easy to access. Her presentation before the Joint Committee was met with a standing ovation by legislators.

Oh still writes blogs for The 84 Movement and updates The 84's Facebook page. In November 2011 she received an honorable mention by the Massachusetts Advocates for Children as they presented their Youth Advocate of the Year award.

Whenever HRiA staff were brainstorming new ideas, Oh always went back to her peers to ask for their input, said Tamaki West, senior communications associate with HRiA. "When she started with us, Becky was quiet and reserved," West said. "But she grew a lot. Becky became not only a core member, but a major voice that helped shape The 84 Movement."

Oh said she gained as much from her intern experience as she contributed, learning how to effectively use social media and even conquering her fear of public speaking by addressing the hundreds of participants on Kick Butts Day.

"Public speaking has never been one of my strengths, but I think because I was in the moment, and it was all very exciting, I was able to speak to everyone," Oh said. "My stage fright was gone. It felt natural."

Aside from overcoming that fear, the experience may have given Oh an even bigger goal: Now a freshman at Boston University, she is considering a career in the public health field.

"Working (for HRiA) for a year really had an effect on me," she said. "I might even want to work for a nonprofit and continue to work on tobacco prevention."