Regardless of who wins the race for the U.S. presidency in November, a Caney Valley High School freshman will be on hand when the new president assumes the oath of office.

Abby Hanigan has been chosen to be among 200 high school students from the United States to attend the inauguration of the U.S. president on Jan. 20, 2009, in Washington, D.C. She was chosen for the elite seat with the People to People Leadership Summit — which trains elementary, junior high and high school students to serve as national and global ambassadors for the United States.

Hanigan is a veteran of the People to People program, after having attended national leadership forums in Washington, D.C., in 2006 and a national theatre and arts summit in New York City in 2007.

At those summits, People to People delegates like Hanigan hear speeches from noted public officials, where they instill leadership skills into the delegates.

“I’ve visited with people from Canada to South America,” she said. “We also tour all of the attractions where the summits are held.”

People to People traces its heritage back to 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower called a special White House meeting of American leaders to create the People to People initiative. Over the past five decades, the People to People mission has been built upon personal exchanges and firsthand experiences with other cultures. The program is open to middle school, junior high and high school students.

Hanigan said she was looking forward to witnessing a unique moment in U.S. history: the inauguration of a new U.S. president.

And, does Hanigan have a preference of which person — either Barack Obama or John McCain — she would rather see assume the oath of office?

“I like Obama,” she said. “I think it would be cool to see a black person be the U.S. president. Plus, the rest of my family are Democrats and would also like to see Obama elected.”

Hanigan is the daughter of Paula Manley of South Coffeyville, Okla., and Alan Hanigan of Kansas City, Mo.

Persons wishing to donate money for Hanigan to make the trip to Washington, D.C., can send contributions to Abby Hanigan, Rt. 1, Box 500, South Coffeyville, OK 74072. s, Josh Fletcher, Kurt Lockwood, Sarah Nelson, Travis Post, Jessica Wells, Jonathan Williams, Cessalie Wood and Tyler Wyant.