Student selected for MADD youth summit

Judy Seckler

GLENDALE HIGH -- In two days, Glendale High School junior Nicole

Abranian will begin a journey designed to make a difference.

Nicole, 16, won a spot as a youth delegate to the MADD National Youth

Summit to Prevent Underage Drinking 2000 hosted by Mothers Against Drunk

Driving. The conference will run five days in Washington, D.C. A Web

site, www.madd.org/nys, has more details involving the summit.

Encouraged by her Associated Student Body teacher Errol Garnett,

Nicole and each of her classmates completed the conference application.

One person from the class, Nicole, was selected to apply to the event.

The national youth conference is hosting 435 students from every

legislative district in the country.

Out of thousands of application from all over the U.S., Nicole was one

of a handful chosen to represent California, said her mother, Sheila

Treston-Abranian.

“My daughter just got her driver’s license,” Treston-Abranian said.

“The message of the conference really hits home because of the fact that

she’s driving.”

Nicole is looking forward to the trip.

“I’m excited at being able to talk to politicians and tell them how I

feel,” she said. At the summit, the high school student will be able to

mingle with U.S. Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and several

congressmen.

While she has not personally had any brushes with drunken driving,

Nicole met Saturday with other delegates who had lost siblings to people

driving under the influence.

“I’m totally shocked from the number of statistics at how many young

people are involved in alcohol incidences and problems,” she said.