Gabriella has worked hard all over the world to enforce her motto, "Even as youth, we can make a positive difference in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, and communities." Most recently, Ms. Contreros headed a town-wide peace march in response to an attempted copy-cat act of violence that occurred in a neighboring school following the Littleton tragedy. More than 1,000 people turned out in support of her effort.
Gabriella also told me that she leads a youth march at the start of every school year in order to set the new year off to a healthy and responsible start. As Arizona State Delegate, it is Ms. Contreros's responsibility to deliver speeches in 8 different foreign countries, telling teens how they can take a more prominent role in their respective communities.
On May 2nd, she spoke eloquently at The White House during a Conference on Raising Responsible and Resourceful Teens. She sat beside the First Lady, serving on a panel with adult authorities in their fields, and spoke before an audience of other adults, sharing her insights as to how teens can be empowered to make positive changes in their own communities.
I believe that Gabriella would agree that we are all responsible for making our communities a better place to live. We all have the ability to put an end to youth violence, bring more awareness about drugs, create stronger families and communities, and in so doing, make our country better. So, as Gabriella might say, "Get motivated, because you can make a positive difference!"
