Making a difference in his community

Angelique Flores

Michael Le’s little sister looks up to him, so he wants to make sure

she has a good role model.

And through one of his most recent achievements -- being chosen as a

youth delegate to the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers National Youth Summit

to Prevent Underage Drinking 2000 -- he is able to do just that.

The 16-year-old Huntington Beach High School junior will be among 434

kids representing each U.S. congressional district and the U.S.

territories.

“He’s a great leader in getting youth involved,” said Tonya Oren,

prevention specialist with Project Positive Action Toward Health, where

Le volunteers. “He’s a planner and doer.”

The event, set for Sept. 29 to Oct. 4, will give the students a forum

to explore issues surrounding alcohol consumption and to discuss and

develop proposed solutions.

During the summit, students will discuss and find solutions for

problems in the areas of alcohol accessibility, enforcement of laws,

alcohol issues at high schools and college, underage drinking, and

impaired driving and media messages.

The students will group together with others in the county to look at

local laws and make recommendations on how to improve them. Le will also

be able to work with students in other parts of the country, to learn

about and understand how other laws work.

At the end of the summit, the students will go to the Capitol and

report to officials what they have learned.

This will be Le’s first time in Washington, D.C. After this trip,

he’ll be making more trips to official meetings in Sacramento and

Huntington Beach. Le plans to present some of the policy changes he and

his peers generate at the summit.

“I’m thrilled because I’m new to this field of drug prevention,” Le

said.

Le’s involvement in drug prevention began about a year ago because he

saw the effects of drug abuse on his friends.

“I had a friend who got locked up in rehab,” he said. “I couldn’t

stand for it anymore.”

Le has been working with different organizations against substance

abuse, such as Huntington Beach Coalition Against Substance Abuse and

Project PATH.

“He’s willing to take control and has great leadership skill,” Oren

said.

Le is often the first to volunteer and works well beyond his goals,

she added.

“When he works with the youth, they look up to him for approval,” Oren

said.

His current project is to create a logo portraying a drug-free message

for merchants to display in their storefronts.

Le started the project two months ago with Valley Vista High School

student Ryan Harper and Huntington Beach High student Katie Roberts. Le

plans to have a logo done by the end of the month.

“He’s doing proactive and positive work in the city,” Oren said.

Besides his work with drug prevention groups, Le writes for the school

newspaper and volunteers with the Kiwanis and Project Cherish, a group

that visits senior citizens who need help with household tasks.

He is also involved with the Key Club, Friday Night Live, the Living

History Foundation and various community service projects, such as beach

cleanups and the Huntington Beach Duckathon.

Many agree Le is well on his way to making a difference in his

community.

“I think I want to run for mayor and maybe Senate,” he said.