Local student Julie Owen (Alva High School) graduated from Youth Leadership Oklahoma's Class 17 on Friday, June 9, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.

Each year a class is selected through a competitive process based on proven leadership, geographic, ethnic and cultural diversity. Selected students participate in a week-long trip across the state of Oklahoma where they learn about Oklahoma's history, culture, issues and leaders and begin to develop a greater understanding and appreciation for our state.

The week-long program began in Oklahoma City at the Gaylord Pickens Home of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and concluded at the Oklahoma History Center. Other locations visited throughout the week included Norman, Lawton, Tecumseh, Tulsa, Stillwater and Enid.