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Sep 6, 2009

"Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do." --Virgil

A Teenager's Plea for Clean Air

Among her many accomplishments, Otana Jakpor, 15, has managed to break up the monotonous atmosphere of air-quality hearings. It's no easy task. Typically, environmentalists spout acronyms and percentages, while industry lobbyists predict the economy will collapse under new rules. Then the 5-foot-6 African American high school senior steps forward in defense of clean air. Since her first appearance at a California Air Resources Board meeting at the age of 13, Otana has aired her concerns at conferences and federal hearings. She has won science fairs, received awards from the Discovery Channel and earned recognition from the government for her research showing how ozone-producing air purifiers affect lung function.