There is "one piece of hope," she said at the end of her comments. "It gets easier. Life doesn't get easier — the problems get harder — but your ability to solve them grows."

Durham said the encouragement is necessary because she is concerned about the lack of civic engagement that seems to be present among some of the younger generation.

"What worries me is the current state of apathy," she said after her address. "If you want to make a difference, you have to understand your world — talk and listen about issues that affect you."

The UVSC Center for the Advancement of Leadership, which sponsored the event, is trying to fight that apathy by teaching leadership, character and life skills for students of all ages, said center director Bruce Jackson.

"Students end up giving themselves away for things that are bigger and better than they are," Jackson said.

Mandy Lee, a 17-year-old student at South Summit High School in Kamas, Summit County, said the leadership conference gave her a greater sense of how to become a leader, especially as a woman — a refreshing perspective from what she and her peers often see through the media.

"The media portray perfection without differences," she said. "But differences are what make us unique."

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