Making a Difference

Growing up in Hawaii, Britney Poti never dreamed she would be the activist and political voice she is today.

At the age of 9, Poti realized what she wanted to do with her life.

"There was one thing that I remember while growing up," she says. "There was a big controversy over the governor election in Hawaii, and I would always listen to my grandparents talking about what was going on and debating it. At that specific moment I knew I wanted to be able to have that kind of conversation with another person, and that sparked my interest in politics and education."

It wasn't long after she left Hawaii, at the age of 11, and moved to Las Vegas that Poti started her politically active career.

Now, as a senior at Canyon Springs High School, Poti is ready to start changing the world.

The 17-year-old is majoring in leadership at The Leadership and Law Preparatory Academy, a magnet program at Canyon Springs. She also volunteers for the Barack Obama presidential campaign and Invisible Children, a charity that aids Ugandan children.

"The magnet program opened my eyes to the political world," Poti says. "It challenged and inspired me politically. The leadership major challenged me to get out there and be a leader. It's my job to promote change in the world."

Poti even has started a charity to help promote that change.

"I make T-shirts that say 'I support Uganda' on the front and 'Invisible Children' on the back. I sell them in my community for $12, and all the profits are sent to the Invisible Children campaign," she says.

"I am determined to improve Africa's economy, education and people. I will do that by the end of my lifetime. I'm not looking for a slight change; I'm going to completely turn the country around."

Poti regularly gives her time to Obama's campaign.

"I rally, make phone calls to people in my district, and gather supporters," she says. "It's not much, but even a little helps his campaign."

She says she supported Obama at the Nevada caucus and will vote for him if he becomes the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

"He seems like a truly honest person, and he's the only candidate that I've seen with actual plans for all of America's problems," Poti says.

Joseph Juliano, a leadership teacher at Canyon Springs, says he is thrilled that Poti has taken an active leadership role in promoting change. He described her as "an outspoken student who is not afraid to express her opinions on current social and political issues."

Poti, whose friends call her by her last name, says three people have inspired her to be the person she is today: Zaid Haddad, a political science teacher at Canyon Springs; Mychal Buckley, a former teacher of Poti's at Canyon Springs; and Juliano.

After graduating from high school, Poti plans to attend a community college in Washington, D.C., for two years and then transfer to George Washington University.

"I think Poti is very capable of achieving her goals," says Kristine Covert, a close friend. "I feel she's a very motivated person. She's definitely an inspiration to me. I look up to her and her leadership."

Poti says she will continue her politically active life both during college and afterward.

"The world better be ready for me, because I'm coming," she says. "Just give me about six-ish years."