Elbert County/Parker, Colorado
It's the middle of August and most 2008 Douglas County high school graduates are focused on starting college, settling into a new dorm and planning the next four years of their lives.
One exception is Nicholas Smiley-Kallas, 18 and an Elbert County/Parker resident. A graduate of Douglas County High School (DCHS) in May 2008, Nick was one of 55 DCHS students in a senior class of 557 to graduate from the school's rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Program.
But while Nick begins college at the University of Colorado - Boulder this month, his immediate focus and priority lies elsewhere. More specifically, The Pepsi Center, the 2008 Democratic National Convention and helping Senator Barack Obama become the nation's next president.
In July, Nick was selected by the Colorado Democratic Party as one of two delegate 'pages' for the National Convention. As part of Colorado's delegation, his role is to help voting delegates and state party officials in a variety of ways prior to, during and after the Democratic National Convention. He'll accompany Colorado's voting delegates and Democratic Party leaders onto the floor of the convention, running messages, errands and assisting with DNC logistics.
Prior to graduating from Douglas County High School, Nicholas co-founded the school's Amnesty International Chapter during his junior year and in January 2008 he organized an on-campus voter registration campaign that registered 200+ of his peers.
Nicholas is a member of the American Friends Service Committee and Douglas County's Young Democrats. In 2000 at the age of 11 he received Ernest and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Rocky Mountain Region. He competed for national honors in Palm Springs California.
In 2007, Nicholas placed 9 th in Colorado Speech and Debate competition. He excelled in impromptu speech.
Earlier this year, he was selected as a Precinct Delegate for Barack Obama; and afterwards, was selected as an Elbert County Delegate for Obama. He's excited about serving as a Page during the National Democratic Convention and campaigning on behalf of Barack Obama this fall.