TUSTIN : High School Senior in Leadership Role

Leah Dozier, a senior at Tustin High School, was among 350 high school students from across the nation who participated in a leadership conference in Washington.

In the National Young Leaders conference, which ended earlier this month, the students met with leaders from the government, the media and the diplomatic corps.

The theme of the conference was “The Leaders of Tomorrow Meeting the Leaders of Today.” The participants were selected based on leadership and academic performance. John Hines, executive director of Congressional Leadership Council, a nonprofit group sponsoring the conference, said that it gave young people “direct access to Washington leaders.”

In addition to meeting national leaders, the students held discussions while pretending to be President Clinton and members of the Cabinet trying to solve the crisis in the Balkans. They also held a mock congressional debate about the national service program.