Shaun and Rich Spencer will tell you their son, Patrick Brogan, is one in a million. While they may be a bit prejudiced, he is certifiably one in a thousand and they have the papers to prove it.

Brogan, 16 and a junior at Ironton High School, is one of 1,000 students nationwide who have been chosen to attend this year's

National Youth Leadership Forum on Technology July 27-Aug. 5 of this year in Silicon Valley, California. The forum is a ten-day summit that will bring together the best and brightest high schools students who show promise in the field of computer science, with pioneers and experts in the business.

Brogan was nominated by IHS guidance counselor Linda Richendollar, based on his aptitude for computer science. It was an interest he developed at an early age: when Brogan was in the third grade in his native Canada, he took a test he took a test to gauge learning potential and was rated in

the top 2 percent of the students in the province of Ontario who took the test.

"I started to realize that you can have more fun with computers that just playing games on them," Brogan said.

During the conference, Brogan will attend seminars, hear speakers from major computer and technology companies and "hopefully leave with more knowledge than I went with." He also hopes to make friends and network with potential mentors in the field.

Last year's participants met Dell Computer founder Michael Dell and toured the Dell Plant in Austin, Texas. They also met the man who invented the Internet.

The trip is not without its obstacles: Shaun Spencer said the trip will cost approximately $3,000.

This amount includes a $2,064 tuition for the conference, plus airfare and spending money. They are looking for sponsors to help defray the cost of the trip. The organizers of the forum encourage participants to solicit donations from businesses and organizations in their home town. Those who want to contribute money may contact Shaun Spencer at the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, 532-3525, or IHS.

Meanwhile, Brogan said he's walking in a daze, thinking of the people he might meet and the experiences he might have during his trip to Silicon Valley.

"I'm still vibrating," Brogan said with a smile. "I can't describe it. It's just mindboggling. I start thinking about it and I just smile uncontrollably."