Keep an eye on Amar Doshi.

On Saturday, December 11 at noon, the Stuyvesant High School senior will preside as "Speaker" of the third annual Model New York City Council session in the City Council Chambers, leading 56 other high school students "representing" each of the Council districts in a debate and vote on banning the sale and installation of after-market audible car alarms in New York City.

The Model City Council is sponsored by The City University of New York with City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and the New York City Council in cooperation with the New York City public schools. The program is in its third year.

Doshi learned about the Model New York City Council Project while taking a course in Public Administration at Baruch College through the CUNY/College Now Program. It seemed like a natural next step for Amar who has participated in the Model United Nations Program. A resident of Bayside, Queens, he was a member of Councilmember John Liu's Youth Action Team, where he helped make Flushing a "destination of choice" in the city. He has also attended Camp Rising Sun, a summer leadership experience for youth from around the world. This past summer, he served as an intern in the New York City office of U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, where he worked on U.S. citizenship and immigration services. At Stuyvesant High School he is a member of the ARISTA National Honor Society, as well as the Speech and Debate team, and the yearbook staff.

All the students have been preparing for their roles in the Model Council Stated Meeting every Saturday since mid-November in intensive training sessions provided by CUNY's Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs. The sessions included lessons about the functions and processes of legislatures in a democracy and the realities associated with policy making and representation in a diverse city, as well as more general skills such as public speaking and argumentation.

All student Model Council members are juniors and seniors currently enrolled in the CUNY/College Now Program, which serves more than 51,000 students in 226 New York City high schools. The high schools are paired with all 17 CUNY colleges.

College Now is a collaborative initiation of the City University of New York and the New York City Department of Education. Its primary goals are to improve the academic achievement of high school students and to ensure that graduating students are ready to do college level work. Qualified students may also take introductory level college credit courses at their high schools or on the campus of the CUNY college partner with the high school. Classes and workshops are held before or after the regular school day or on Saturdays.

The City University of New York, the nation's leading public urban university, includes 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, a graduate school, a law school and a school of biomedical education serving nearly 220,000 degree-credit students. Adult, continuing and professional education students exceed 200,000. Nearly 52,000 students are enrolled in College Now, the University's enrichment program for high school students at CUNY campuses and more than 200 New York City high schools. More than 8,100 students are enrolled in CUNY-affiliated high schools.