Nicole D. Lewis, a junior at Crossland High School has been selected to attend the 2008 Presidential Youth Leadership Conference, sponsored by LeadAmerica. The conference will be held in Denver during the Democratic National Convention August 24 - 29, 2008. Miss. Lewis will join other Presidential Scholars from across the United States for the 6-day conference. The students attending were each selected on the basis of demonstrated academic excellence, extracurricular involvement and strong leadership potential. At the PYLC, students will work in campaign teams and political action committees, and take part in a simulated National Convention. In a campaign team, they will take on the role of a candidate, campaign manager, media director, policy director or campaign strategist. Or, as a member of a political action committee, they will act as an executive director, media director, policy director or political strategist. They will develop a platform, anticipate the opposition, organize and run a Town Hall meeting and lobby the candidates.

“The PYLC is a great opportunity for young leaders to develop their skills in campaign strategy and execution, meet other young leaders from around the country, and get an up-close view of what is certain to be an historic event,” said Chris M. Salamone, Esq., founder and executive director of LeadAmerica. Students will meet party leaders, key campaign leaders, members of the media and policy experts and analysts. They will attend their state's delegate breakfast meeting where they'll meet and get to know state delegates attending the national convention. “This is an important election year for our country and the Democratic Convention will certainly be a historic event,” says Salamone. “The students attending this conference are our future leaders. It is my sincere hope that the PYLC will instill in these young leaders ethical and principled values that will help them along the road toward a successful and rewarding life of leadership.” The Presidential Youth Leadership Conference is offered during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, as well as during the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The PYLC also offers a Presidential Inaugural conference that will take place in Washington, DC during the 2009 presidential inauguration which Miss. Lewis has also been invited to attend.   

Nicole Lewis, a Mississippi native now residing in Fort Washington, Maryland, attends Crossland High School. Her activities include 2007 LeadAmerica Law & Trial Advocacy  Conference, 2007-2008 SGA Head of Communications,  2008-2009 SGA Member At Large, 2008-2009 Boys Basketball Team Manager,  2008 Volunteer for the Colin B. Kum Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, Inc., and Miss Lewis is also a 2009 debutant of the Ivy Foundation Tea Rose Cotillion sponsored by the Xi Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in Washington, DC. Miss Lewis's career aspiration is to become an attorney with multi-office locations focusing on child advocacy and special education. In the fall of 2010 Miss. Lewis hopes attend Jackson State University and later attend Yale University or Duke University for law school.  Miss Lewis is the loving daughter of Eugene B. Brown, Jr. and L. Terri Powell-Brown and the adoring sister of Eugene III, Ian and Ethan all of Fort Washington, MD.  “Since the day she was born we knew she was special.  We hope that Nicole embraces all the opportunities that are available to her and grow from them, all while making this an even greater country and ultimately a better world,” says her mother Mrs. Powell-Brown.

About LeadAmerica

LeadAmerica is the nation's premier youth leadership organization. With a commitment to providing quality leadership education, LeadAmerica empowers teenage leaders and instills in them ethical and principled leadership values, attitudes and skills. Each of its high school conferences is college accredited and its programs are approved activities of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. LeadAmerica sponsors the Congressional Student Leadership Conference for high school students, the National Junior Leaders Conference for middle and junior high school students, Ambassadors Abroad international study programs in China, Australia and Europe, and Washington Summer Scholars, a college-level academic program held in partnership with American University. 

Further information on LeadAmerica and the Presidential Youth Leadership Conference can be found at:

www.lead-america.org  or by calling 1.866.FYI.LEAD (394.5323).