It was inspired by Barack Obama's "Yes, We Can" speech.

And so was Katherine Bell.

The teen saw the black-and-white video, featuring a star-studded cast and pictures of Obama delivering his now famous speech, on YouTube earlier this year. Those images -- as well as the lyrics by will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas -- helped her decide who to vote for in the 2008 presidential election.

The first-time voter plans to cast a ballot for Obama in November.

But she's hoping to meet him before then.

And she might get her chance this week.

The 18-year-old recent White Swan High School graduate is serving as an at-large delegate at the 45th Democratic National Convention in Denver. The convention, which began Monday, runs through Thursday.

Democratic delegates from all 50 states -- as well as Democrats Abroad, American Samoa, The District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- are gathering to show their support for the Democratic candidates and cast their official votes for the Democratic presidential nominee and party platform.

Serving as a national at-large delegate as a first-time, teenage voter is unusual. In Washington state, there are only 17 at-large delegate spots -- 11 for Obama and six for Hillary Clinton -- plus four alternates.

Still, Bell wants Yakima Valley teens to know, "It's possible to be able to do something like this."

Bell heard about the opportunity to be a national delegate through a high school English class. Her teacher created a demonstration exercise to teach students about caucuses.

After attending a series of conventions and caucuses in February, April and May, Bell, who plans to attend Central Washington University this fall, was elected an at-large delegate for the state convention in Spokane in June.

She had to give speeches at the congressional district and state conventions to get elected. Her speeches were about her community and how Obama's ideas would help solve problems there.

The main focus of Bell's speeches at the state convention was how she wants to help her community in many ways, including ending poverty.

According to the last U.S. Census, 27 percent of the population in White Swan lives below the poverty line, including 30 percent of those under 18 and about 22 percent of those 65 or over.

"Even though they don't have anything, they're still giving," Bell says, adding that one of the reasons she supports Obama is because "he can get young voters involved."

She also says she likes the "excitement he brings off."

And, "He is for the lower middle class" and "helping people who don't have enough."

Since Bell had no prior experience in running to become a delegate, she needed some help getting elected.

Aaron Case, 36, of Yakima was elected as a congressional district delegate. He met Bell in May at the district caucus at Eisenhower High School.

He says he was impressed with her speech at that caucus and thought she was good at speaking in public.

"I think it's really exciting that we have a delegate who's recently graduated from high school," says Case, who helped Bell prepare by prepping her on the conventions, introducing her to people, and giving her advice on points to talk about with people at the conventions as well as other Democrats.

According to Case, more than 400 people ran for the at-large delegate spots.

In order for Bell to get elected, "Older people had to listen to and support Katherine," says her father, 51-year-old David Bell, pastor of the Log Church in White Swan.

Bell is one of the youngest members of the Washington delegation, bringing the perspective of young voters in Washington state to the national convention. There, the 4,440 delegates will be casting about 4,235 votes.

And, her father says, "It gives her a chance to be a part of the national system."

* For more information, visit www.demconvention.com.