Republican convention hears from Ouachita Baptist Univ. student

(BP) - Twenty-year-old Princella Smith, a Ouachita Baptist University junior, savored a rare opportunity for someone her age as she addressed the Republican National Convention Aug. 31 in New York at the opening night's session.

The junior history and political science double major from Wynne, Ark. was chosen to represent young Republicans at the convention in a national essay contest sponsored by the RNC and MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign. About 1,000 young adults between 18 and 24 submitted essays in the "Stand Up and Holla!" contest. Ten were selected as finalists and Smith won on votes cast by the MTV audience.

"Over a decade ago, a fellow Arkansan at a national convention talked about a place called Hope," Smith told the responsive Republican crowd in a reference to former Democratic President Bill Clinton. "Now I would like to talk about another small town in Arkansas - a place called Wynne."

Smith was senior class president at Wynne High School. As a young black woman, she acknowledged she doesn't fit the stereotypical Republican profile.

"They want to show the diversity in the party, and I'm a prime example," Smith told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.