Bobbie-Lynn Kealoha knows how to seize an opportunity.

When she was invited to participate in the People-to-People ambassador program in Europe this summer, she didn't let the cost stop her. She got $1,000 from the Farrington Alumni Community Association and donations from family, then sold brownies and candy to cover the rest.

"I wanted to do it just because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I don't think I would have ever gone to Europe and experienced that without the program," she said.

She and other participants traveled to France, Italy and Malta and took in a tour of history on the road, seeing artwork such as the Mona Lisa and visiting Roman ruins, including the Colosseum.

She learned about more than history. "It was a lot of getting together and learning how to meet people and learning how to deal with different personalities," she said.

She got more of this type of experience when she traveled to Washington, D.C., for the March of Dimes conference.

All of that will serve her well as student body president this year at Farrington, where she is trying to motivate more students to participate in activities. "My goal is to get a lot of people involved, a diversity of students, our athletes, our clubs, everyone," she said.

For herself, stepping up is a natural inclination. She has held a number of leadership roles at the school: varsity cheerleader captain in her freshman and sophomore years and vice president of Island Harmony, a Polynesian dance club, and student body secretary last year.

She said she pursues these roles "just because I loved it once I joined."

As a student leader, Bobbie-Lynn shoulders responsibilities for May Day, all the pep rallies, assemblies and anything else that deals with the whole student body.

"I love planning and executing activities," she said. "We get to create memories for our fellow classmates."

Bobbie-Lynn is happy to share the spotlight with other members of the leadership class. "I don't really see it as me leading the school," she said. "I have officers. Without them, I would be nothing."

Having lived her entire life in Hawai'i, Bobbie-Lynn is eager to spread her wings and soar. "My parents never went to college," she said. Neither did her sisters.

Her cousins went to the Mainland and have advised her to do the same.

By leaving home, she anticipates the opportunity "to live life on your own and make your own mistakes and learn from it instead of having someone to hold your hand," she said. "It's independence, I guess."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.