Way to Go: Alessandra Puccio, Oyster Bay

Alessandra Puccio said she's known she wants to be a journalist since the sixth grade -- and this summer she's getting the chance to explore the field at a conference in Washington, D.C.

The Oyster Bay High School junior is one of 250 students nationwide to be selected as a national youth correspondent at the 2012 Washington Journalism and Media Conference, to be held this summer at George Mason University.

Puccio, 16, was chosen based on a teacher

nomination and her academic accomplishments and interest in journalism and media studies.

"I like to be the one to report the facts," said Puccio, who is editor of the school's newspaper, the Oyster Bay Harbour Voice. "I like to think the facts get us further than opinion."

At the conference, Puccio and students from across the country will participate in decision-making simulations that challenge them to explore the creative and ethical tensions that can arise in journalism. They also will attend lectures given by journalists and go on tours of the U.S. Capitol and museums of the Smithsonian Institution.

At Oyster Bay High, Puccio is treasurer of the National Honor Society of the Class of 2013, captain of the girls varsity field hockey team and co-captain of the winter track team.