Faith Newsome founded OCEANS in 2018 to offer support and advocacy to people ages 12 to 21 living with obesity. OCEANS, which stands for “outreach, community engagement, advocacy and non-discriminatory support,” aims to empower adolescents through three different areas of programming: monthly socials, an annual activity day, and policy-based advocacy projects.
“When I was growing up I felt I was the only person experiencing this,” she said. “We really need to start connecting teens with each other.”
Newsome, a current UNC senior and Campus Y CUBE entrepreneur, shared her story with The New York Times for an article exploring weight loss surgery for teens. In the article, Faith describes her own weight loss journey and the difficulty that comes with managing her weight and mental health in college.