ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — From the Barelas Coffee House to the White House and South Broadway to Capitol Hill, Cheyenne Anderson is leading by example.

Anderson came down an escalator Saturday at the Albuquerque International Sunport, wearing her travel clothes instead of the suits she wore all week.

“These hands have shook with the hands of the president,” she said. “Oh, this is real. This is real, and it’s happening.”

From the South Valley, Anderson returned from a weekend in Washington, D.C. She received a formal invitation to the White House in recognition of her work and leadership in Albuquerque.

“I’ve met people who are like, ‘Mexico, New Mexico. Are you talking about Mexico?’ And I’m like, ‘No, we’re a state and we’re here and we’re loud. Hear us.’,” she said.

Anderson was one of 10 girls from around the U.S. to be honored at First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s annual Girls Leading Change ceremony. It was Anderson’s book of poetry and art showing her community the way she sees it.

“There is a South Valley in every city across the West. There is a part of a city that is overlooked or represented in a negative light,” she said.

Anderson is excited by the possibilities she sees sharing a stage with other young leaders.

“When you see yourself and you see others like you, you’re able to dream bigger. This whole event made that possible for another generation of teen girls,” she said.

Never in Anderson’s wildest dreams did she think she’d get to meet the first lady and the president. Now, she is working on some new projects, like a mobile art museum to take to youth detention centers.

“My hope with this, and bringing it to a national level, is that I inspire others to share stories of their community and put their work out there,” she said.

No matter what she does, Cheyenne Anderson is ready to keeping making New Mexico heard.