SOUTH-CENTRAL : Washington Senior Goes to Washington

Cherice Williams’ trip to Washington was marked by visits to the familiar sites that have come to symbolize the nation’s capital, including the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Vietnam memorials.

But the Washington Preparatory High School senior was especially moved by a debate in the House of Representatives.

“The power in that room,” said Williams. “When you think about it, in that room they decide everything that we have to live by. I really got the full understanding of the power there and how much influence their views have over our lives.”

Williams, 18, was one of 350 students nationwide selected to take part in the National Young Leaders Conference. During the Feb. 2-7 gathering, the teen-agers visited foreign embassies and met with their state senators.

“The whole theme of the conference was getting the young scholars, who are our leaders of tomorrow, to meet leaders of today,” said Diane Boyd, deputy executive director of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council.

Boyd said conference participants, who pay their own air fare and hotel accommodations, were selected based on academic achievement, leadership potential and community involvement.

Teachers characterized Williams as a good student who excels in academic and extracurricular activities. In Washington High’s magnet program, Williams takes advance-placement chemistry and government classes along with physics and has a 3.4 grade-point average. She also works after school at a McDonald’s and volunteers for Planned Parenthood.

One of 37 students chosen from California and the only youth from South-Central, Williams said debating issues such as gun control were far from abstract exercises.

“We used to live next door to a park, and they used to shoot all the time,” Williams said. “It’s violent all over, but just having to get down on the floor all the time after hearing a gunshot makes you feel that there shouldn’t be any guns, or they (lawmakers) should make it harder to get guns.”