Eighteen public and private high school students will spend this week in private sessions with some of Hawai'i's influential leaders as part of a fellowship with the Center for Tomorrow's Leaders.

The organization is holding its four-day Leadership Academy at the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki and includes sessions with local business and government leaders such as Eddie Flores, founder of L&L Barbecue Restaurants; Keith Amemiya, executive director of the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association; Dee Jay Mailer, chief executive officer of Kamehameha Schools; and Peter Carlisle, Honolulu city prosecutor.

The yearlong program for high school juniors and seniors prepares students for leadership and community service, organization officials said. Keli'i Akina and his wife, Patty, founded the Center for Tomorrow's Leaders in 2002. Some 100 students have gone through the program over the past six years.

"Patty and I founded the Center for Tomorrow's Leaders to encourage young people to make a difference and produce leaders whose lives will transform Hawai'i," said Akina, who is an adjunct professor of humanities and philosophy at Hawaii Pacific University.

He's also the executive director of Youth for Christ Hawai'i.

Others participating in this week's leadership training include Tony Guerrero of First Hawaiian Bank; Ted Liu of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Oswald Stender of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and Francis Oda of Group 70 International.

Acceptance into the program is competitive, Akina said.

The Center for Tomorrow's Leaders is accepting applications for its 2009-2010 class. Students who will be high school juniors and seniors in Fall 2009 are eligible.

Applications are available at www.centerfortomorrowsleaders.org.