Indian teen named to planning panel in Santa Fe

Thursday, October 18, 2007  

An Indian teenager who dropped out of high school has been named to a planning and development panel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Shayna Lewis, 19, who is Paiute and Pima, was born in Santa Fe and raised at Pojoaque Pueblo. She attended Santa Fe Indian School but dropped out during 10th grade.

"For a while there, I knew I was not doing good, and I knew that I needed to change," she told The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Lewis is now about to get her general equivalency diploma and plans to attend the University of New Mexico next year. She served on the mayor's Youth Advisory Board and is a supervisor at Youthworks, a nonprofit that puts troubled teens to work.

Some people have questioned Mayor David Coss for appointing a young person to the Planning Commission, which reviews all real-estate development. Lewis said she is committed to the post and is eager to get to work.

"I am not here just for it to look good on my résumé. I am actually here to make my community grow into something better than it is," she said.

Get the Story:
Coss defends naming teenager to panel (The Santa Fe New Mexican 10/17)

$rl City of Santa Fe - http://santafenm.gov