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Touching things methodically. Reading the same book pages repeatedly while the rest of the class moves on to future chapters. Worrying about how she's different from other kids.

Do Latinos vote as a bloc? According to students at Duarte High School in Los Angeles County, the answer is sometimes.

Several Indianapolis teens – be they Indian, black, Latino or white – said they would consider marrying outside of their race, now that they have been part of the interracial dating scene. Raymond Jami, who is black, and Rocio Mendez, who is Latina, have been dating for more than three years.

George Yancey, an associate professor of sociology at the University of North Texas, studies interracial dating and marriage. He shared some of his findings with Y-Press.

A year ago, Nina Wainscott was at risk of dropping out of Shelbyville High School, and her counselor told her that she didn’t have enough credits to graduate.

If every freshman, sophomore, junior and senior at Broad Ripple, Carmel and Zionsville High Schools dropped out, that would be about the same number of secondary school students – 6,829 -- that drop out every day across America.

Tameria Aldrich might have passed as a typical American teen-ager if it weren’t for the camouflage uniform she wore daily.Her weekday schedule last spring was different from what most youth face too: The 17-year-old was up before dawn, helping clean her barracks before breakfast, then marching in formations, followed by school and a full day of other military-style events.

Pollsters and analysts love to identify voting blocs, using them to explain voting trends and to make projections. The Latino voting bloc has been repeatedly analyzed, often getting credit for swaying elections, such as the 2004 presidential contest in which incumbent George W. Bush defeated U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Being an integral part of his family’s business is priceless, says Marco Andretti, an IRL racer who finished second in the Indianapolis 500 when he was only 19 years old. Andretti said he can’t imagine being in the racing business without his legendary grandfather Mario Andretti, one of the most famous race car drivers of all time.

Much has been written and reported on the throngs of youth involved in the presidential primaries and caucuses. But will youth actually have an impact on the general election? Will activism translate into votes?

According to CIRCLE, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland, more than 32 million youth ages 18 to 25 will be eligible to vote in the upcoming election. If 55 percent of these young people vote – a record turnout, attained only once, in the 1972 election – more than 17.6 million ballots will be cast.

Indianapolis is home to hundreds of Burmese families, and many of them have children in public schools on the north and south sides of the city. Y-Press interviewed young Burmese about the oppression they faced in their native country and learned how they are adjusting to America.

Tasha Borta and Katelynn Todd think it's only fair that they be allowed on the North Montgomery High School wrestling team -- even though their teammates and a lot of their competitors are male.

A class of young graffiti artists stood in an art studio, painting, airbrushing, and observing one another create art. Canvases, paint bottles, T-shirts and sculptures filled the tables and counters. “Get Low” by rapper Flo Rida blared in the background.

Youth today often have unlimited access to multiple forms of communication and have been called the most connected generation. It is not uncommon, for example, for a kid to spend several hours each night instant messaging friends, creating and posting videos on YouTube or inputting information on Facebook or MySpace for (almost) all the world to see. These communications venues are also playing a key role in the 2008 election. As the conventions near, presidential candidates are trying to get all the votes and funding that they can, and the Internet has become a gold mine for generating support, particularly from youth.

Chris Woods used to be a below-average student; now he makes the honor roll. He says he used to have a "ghetto mentality," but now he's sympathetic and compassionate. The 18-year-old once fought in the streets for neighborhood pride; now he mentors younger kids. How was Woods, once a struggling student and now a sophomore at Herron High School, able to turn his life around? He credits the Christian youth organization Young Life.

Allison "Allie" Eberle, an eighth-grade student at Guion Creek Middle School in Pike Township, works hard to maintain straight A's. She also plays viola and violin in the orchestra, and she's a soccer and basketball player.

As the political gambits of the 2008 campaigns kick into high gear, involvement by youth is higher than in any election. According to the Pew Research Center, overall youth turnout - voters ages 17 to 200 for the primaries has increased five percent from the 2004 election.