Way to Go: Skylah McBean-Adams, Copiague

A Walter G. O'Connell Copiague High School senior was among about 60 female students participating in a political leadership program at Georgetown University in the nation's capital.

Skylah McBean-Adams, 17, was the only Long Island student in the Young Women's Political Leadership Program, coordinated by the nonprofit Running Start. That organization works to introduce female students to the importance of political and community leadership.

The seven-day conference in July included instruction on networking and public speaking as well as panel discussions.

"I'd love to go back and do it all again," McBean-Adams said. "It was really nice to see other girls with the same ideology and motivation as myself."

At Copiague, McBean-Adams' leadership positions include serving as treasurer of the Student Council, vice president of the African-American Club, a member of the National Honor Society, and a leader in the One Mind Club, which has a mission of stopping cliques, discrimination and stereotypes.

Her other involvements include being a member of the National Achievers Society's Urban League, the Town of Babylon Youth Court, Suffolk County's Youth Leadership Caucus and the nonprofit dance group Venettes Cultural Workshop.

"Skylah is a student who is committed to excellence," said Mary Klein, the high school's guidance director. "She is an ambitious and focused student who will continue to set high standards for herself."