Plano pre-teen to attend Inauguration Day

[Guest guest]

Plano pre-teen to attend Inauguration Day

www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2009/01/01/news_update/780.txt

Saturday, January 10, 2009

There will be thousands of attendees for Inauguration Day 2009.

Among the high-profile dignitaries and celebrities will be a student from

Plano.

Plano resident Zagorski is a seventh grader at Renner Middle School

and a scholar with the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference. In

June, Zagorski and her parents, Ed and , received a letter from

officials with the Conference informing them that Zagorski would be

attending the Inauguration.

Zagorski will travel to Washington D.C. and witness the President and Vice

President taking the official oath of office on the National Mall and she

will hear the President's first address to the nation. She will view the

inaugural parade and attend a gala ball.

" I'm really excited about it, " Zagorski said.

When she was in sixth grade, Zagorski was nominated by her PACE English

teacher, Kristy Leon, to be on the Junior National Young Leaders Conference.

The Conference helps students develop and sharpen leadership skills through

examining leaders of the past and empowering the students to make a positive

social impact.

While with the Young Leaders Conference, Zagorski journeyed to Philadelphia

and West Virginia in an effort to improve her leadership skills and to look

at the background of the U.S. Constitution. Zagorski was the lead defense

attorney for a mock trial and successfully defended her client.

" The mock trial was my favorite part of the trip, " Zagorski said.

Because of her performance at the mock trial, Zagorski was selected to

advance through the program, eventually landing her an invitation to the

Inauguration.

" We didn't know anything about the Young Leaders Conference, " said.

" This has been great for ; she's found a passion for politics. "

Zagorski enjoys watching CNN, reading the Wall Street Journal and her

favorite show is World News on ABC. She plans to attend Yale University and

pursue her passion for politics.

" I'm definitely going to be a Senator someday, " Zagorski said.

Zagorski is a busy 12 year old. She enjoys participating in debate, she is

the 2009 Dallas arthritis walk hero and she is a radio personality on XM

radio.

She was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis when she was seven.

said she didn't know children could even have arthritis. Every other

month Zagorski travels by plane to Houston to see her doctor and takes

powerful medicine to help combat the pain that goes along with the disease.

Ed said that even though she isn't able to be as active as other kids,

through the conference she has found something she truly enjoys.

All those selected by the conference to attend the 44th presidential

inauguration were also invited to participate in a challenge; the winners

will get the opportunity to introduce the Keynote speakers. The speakers

will be Gen. Colin , former secretary of state and Al Gore, former

U.S. Vice President, Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the America's

Promise Alliance and Weihenmayer, filmmaker and author of " Touch the

Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can

See. "

The challenge was to create their own 30-second video; Zagorski's video was

a segment on what she thought was the first thing the new president should

do in office.

" chose to talk about the importance of universal healthcare, "

said. " has seen how important it has been for us to have healthcare to

pay for her medicine, but she's asked what those without healthcare can do

to pay for basic needs. "

Zagorski said if she gets the chance to meet President-elect Barack Obama

she plans to tell him that she's the " world's biggest fan " of his.

The inauguration is on Jan. 20.