A Teen’s Take for June 28,2012

Photo provided by The Runnels School -- Savanna Cox , left, stands with Runnels School classmate Chloe Laborde stand in front of a display created during an event Cox organized to raise awareness about autism and funds for the charity Autism Speaks.

Savanna Cox on autism

“I am concerned with autism, because not only is there no medical detection for autism, but also prevalence figures are constantly growing. I have spent a lot of time with autistic children, and they have changed how I see the world and how I choose to live my life today. Teens today should be more concerned about autism, because our generation has the potential to fight and cure the causes for autism.”

Age: 18

School: Runnels High School, 2012 graduate

Parents: Christopher and Alice Cox

FAVORITES:

Book: “Jane Eyre”

TV show: “Lie to Me”

Movie: “Shawshank Redemption”

Music: She loves making music and playing the flute.

Hangout: Anyplace outside

Role model: Dr. Lori McBride, a pediatric neurosurgeon at The Children’s Hospital

Extra: Cox, a member of The National Honor Society and The National Society of High School Scholars, plans to attend LSU in the fall to study biology as a pre-med student. During the past school year, she organized a fundraiser as a service project for the National Honor Society that yielded nearly $400 in donations for Autism Speaks, a national charity that supports research for and awareness of autism spectrum disorders.

William Taylor

Assistant People editor