After a difficult decision-making process, Cupertino City Council members chose 13 students—including seven incumbents and six newcomers—from a competitive pool of 57 applicants.

"They are a great bunch of kids," Councilwoman Dolly Sandoval said. "They're all enthusiastic, and they have fun together."

Without wasting much time, the new teen commission sprang into action on Sept. 9, holding its first meeting immediately after a swearing-in ceremony and dinner with city officials and council members.

In addition to selecting its officers, members also decided on a regular meeting schedule: 5:30­7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of each month.

The commissioners are well aware of the challenges ahead of them, which include living up to their predecessors' achievements in addressing teen issues and improving relations within the community through recreation and communication.

"It's hard to top last year's accomplishments," Mayor Richard Lowenthal said. "We ask you to take this seriously, work hard to improve the city and have fun along the way."

"Last year's teen commission was a very productive commission," said Therese Smith, the city's director of parks and recreation. "They accomplished a lot of things, such as a successful job fair."

In addition to the job fair, the 2001 commission also created a website that, according to incumbent Zack Kolev, provides valuable information to teens in Cupertino.

"We also use it to poll visitors on key teen issues," said Kolev, a 16-year-old senior at Monta Vista High School. "That way we're able to make better decisions."

The 2001 commission also provided input on various projects, including the mobile skatepark, the new library and a teen center in the Cupertino Sports Center.

"We also gave city council our opinions on the reappointment of teen commissioners," added Akshita Deora, a 16-year-old incumbent from Cupertino High School. "I shared many of my ideas and opinions concerning staggered terms and requirements to be a commissioner. Being on the first teen commission, I would say it was a very successful year."

Challenged but definitely not intimidated, the new teen commission faces the future with a positive and confident attitude.

"I think that all our commissioners are great," said Kolev, who was elected vice chair of the commission. "This is a very intelligent and diligent group. I feel privileged to work with so many bright individuals. I am sure we will do a great job of making Cupertino better for teens."

"I am so excited to see the new teen commission," Vice Mayor Michael Chang said. "The returning members seemed so seasoned and enthusiastic, and the new members will bring new ideas and energy."

Bringing in new ideas and energy is exactly what new commissioner Princess Castaneda plans to do.

"I am very excited, and I can't wait to work with other teens," said Castaneda, a 15-year-old sophomore at Cupertino High School. "I have lots of ideas that I want to share with others. I will try my best to get everyone involved. There's a lot of potential and a lot of things teens can participate in here in Cupertino."

Sharing Castaneda's enthusiasm, Deora said, "We're anxious to come out with our new ideas. Three big events that I would definitely like to see happen are a multicultural program to bring teens of different cultures together, a better and improved job fair, and an event for youth commissions from different cities to share ideas."

Deora added that the commission plans to continue working on many of the projects from last year, such as the job fair and the teen website.

They will also devote time to new projects, such as designing programs for the future teen center in the Cupertino Sports Center, which the commission planned to discuss in detail at their Sept. 17 meeting.

"I hope this teen commission will firmly set the pace for future commissions and work with the city staff to greatly increase awareness of its work and activities," Chang said.

The 2002 Cupertino Teen Commission consists of Chris Haley, Danh Trang, Angelica Zen, Piyush Goyal, Erin Gatley, Kenny Lin, Zack Kolev, Patty Fang, Alexander Lee, Kevin Schroeder, Emily Liu, Princess Castaneda and Akshita Deora.