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Candidate Barack Obama’s appeal among the young is reflected in the fresh faces of some Colorado delegates at the Democratic National Convention.

At 19, Erica Hixson of Thornton — a business major at Colorado State University — will be voting in her first presidential election this fall. And he’s got a seat on the Pepsi Center floor as a first-time delegate.

“I’m extremely excited. I’m just so happy to be here,” Hixson said, shortly after Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper addressed the DNC Monday. “It’s awesome to be part of such a huge event when I’m so young.”

Several national polls have shown overwhelming support for Obama among college-age voters.

Hixson is the youngest member of the Colorado delegation. At least five others are in their 20s.

Like Hixson, this is the first time most members of Colorado’s contingent at the DNC have been delegates.

Hixson’s path to the DNC began when she was selected by fellow attendees of her party caucus in Thornton last winter as a delegate to the Adams County Democratic convention. There, as one of the few college-age Democrats in attendance, she was picked to go to the state convention in Colorado Springs.

At the state gathering, she worked the halls campaigning for a seat at the DNC, talking with fellow delegates and passing out Mardi Gras beads with her name on them.

Hixson said she hopes the convention will have a positive impact on Colorado’s economy. “I think we’ll see a lot of tourists this week and after this,” she said.

So she could help the Democratic Party choose a presidential candidate, Hixson excused herself from CSU classes this week.

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