Episode 1: Starting the Conversation With Stephanie Strucaly

December 10th, 2025

Hey everyone! I'm Julia Lee, the President for Youth for Global Smiles, and a Smile Train student ambassador. I'm a sophomore from Howard High School and I'm incredibly excited to be here today and learn from someone who has made such as impact in the cleft community. 

Hi everyone, I'm Mrugkashi Badhri Vishaal and I'm the Secretary (Vice President) of Youth for Global Smiles. I'm a sophomore from Centennial High School and I'm happy to be here because cleft treatment can treat an individual's life. I can't wait to learn more about it. 

Could you introduce yourself and share your role in the cleft community?

I'm Steph Strucaly and I work for Smile Train, the world's largest cleft charity. As the manager of community development, I manage our student and youth supporter programs. But I myself was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, which helps me connect deeply with the patients Smile Train serves and also the many cleft-affected community supporters here in the U.S. and globally that we work with.

What initially inspired you to work with individuals affected by cleft?

Growing up with a cleft myself, I definitely understood firsthand the challenges and the strength that it takes to navigate the long journey. And also the importance of having a community that understands you, supports you, and uplifts you. That experience of my own inspired me to want to help others receive the essential care they need to live full, happy, and healthy lives, but also to make myself available to others so they feel seen, supported, and empowered. 

What is something you wish more people understood about cleft lip and palate?

I think something that I wish more people understood is that cleft is not just a cosmetic difference. It impacts so much more, like speech, eating, breathing, hearing, and confidence. And also, every cleft is different. No one's anatomy is the same, so no one's cleft is the same. Because of that, every cleft patient's journey will look different. But with the right support and treatment, all individuals with clefts can thrive just like anyone else.

What is one meaningful experience from your work that stands out to you?

One moment that stays with me is I moderated a panel with cleft-affected teens at a previous Smile Train CleftCon event. It's a great event and one of my favorites that we run for our cleft community programs in the U.S. I was honored to guide a conversation where these teen panelists just showed incredible courage in sharing their own personal journeys on such a big stage and offering advice to other youth. Their openness was really inspiring to me, especially because at their age, I never would have felt brave enough to speak publicly about my own cleft experience. It took me until my adulthood to be that open, which is okay. I just think that because of that, it made their strength even more powerful to witness during that session.

In your experience, what are the biggest challenges patients or families face?

First, access to care is a major challenge, whether it's surgery, speech therapy sessions, or orthodontics. Treatment is expensive no matter where you live around the world, even if you have insurance. Also, people with clefts and their families often face stigma, even today in 2025, due to lack of information around clefts or societal norms around beauty and representations of clefts that they see in media and film, which can be incredibly isolating for them. These kinds of false perceptions of clefts are really destructive to the public's perception of people with clefts as being scary, ugly, or evil. That can cause a lot of harm to someone's self-esteem, as you can imagine.

What gives you the most hope when you work with patients or see their progress?

I don't work with Smile Train patients firsthand, but I will say that I know for certain that every child with a cleft has resilience, and the cleft journey can be very long and uncomfortable. Every appointment they go to, every procedure they endure, every minute of their recovery is a milestone for them and their families. They're all small steps to reassuring families that their child is going to be okay. Knowing how relieved parents who once worried so deeply about just their child's survival will be reassured that everything will be okay really warms my heart a lot.

How can young people or student-led clubs like ours make a real impact?

I think by raising awareness, fundraising for children's treatment, and using their voices to educate others about clefts. Educate about the global inequities in access to cleft care and how Smile Train is working to close those gaps to help ensure every child with a cleft receives the care they deserve. Young advocates bring so much energy and compassion that can really move this forward.

Is there a message you'd like to share with our Youth for Global Smiles community?

Of course. I just want to share that your involvement matters more than you know. Every effort of yours helps a child feel hopeful and supported. I just want to say thank you for choosing to stand with Smile Train and the cleft community. You're truly changing lives. So thank you, thank you.