It is a time of year where some teens may be tempted to trade hitting the books for hitting the bottle.
That problem rolls around as high school students celebrate things like prom and graduation.
But, Amy Wieczoerk has a message for those teens.
"You realize the value of life and how much a life is really worth," she said.
It is a reality that hit her hard after coming back from a vacation and hearing that a drunk driver killed her best friend, just 18-years-old.
"I had no idea what had happened," Wieczoerk said. "I stepped off the plane. My mom sat me down and said Morgan was in an accident. I said okay. Is she okay? Of course, tears are streaming down her face, and she said she was killed."
Now, she speaks on behalf of mothers against drunk driving to try to prevent others from losing a loved one because of alcohol.
She says her own story is devastating.
"Basically, you don't think its ever going to happen to you, until it does," she said.
Wieczoerk tells those underage to just say no to alcohol.
"Your gut tells you what's wrong. Your heart tells you what's wrong. You have the legal system to tell you what's wrong," she said.
She also asks parents to set a good example.
"The most important thing you can do is be a role model," Wieczoerk said.
The proof that setting that example can influence a teen is Reyna Raymundo.
She said her family and friends don't drink, eliminating the peer pressure that other high school students might face around times like prom and graduation.
"I surround myself with great people," Raymundo said.
When the pressure is on, she said the choice is personal.
"At the end of the day you're the only person who has a choice to whether you drink or not," she said.
That's a message both women can agree on and one they hope teens take to heart to prevent deaths like Morgan's.
"Don't underage drink. Don't drink and drive. Don't get in a car with a drunk driver," Wieczoerk said. "It's not worth the risk."
