“I respect my colleagues' hard work and journalistic prowess. I think I receive the same respect in return. I may be young if you look at the number but I've amassed a lot of experience – I just started a little earlier than some,” she says.

With a 19 hour work day that begins at 6:30 in the morning and includes everything from reading the news, taping new segments for next week’s show, appearing live on Headline News, prepping for the next day’s interview, catching some dinner and continuously checking her Blackberry, it’s hard to imagine how she still has time for anything else but work. While much of her time is spent working she says she’s learned to listen to herself. Working if she’s focused, and taking it easy if she isn’t. “My happy medium might not be typical,” she says.

Though she anchors different news stories constantly throughout the day Lapin says trying to cram information last minute isn’t a good idea. “I think it's really important to focus on what you're doing and know your material well. It's also important to relax and be yourself. Viewers can see anything artificial right away,” she tells Teen Scene. “I don't all of a sudden become a different person on the air; I strive to be the same Nicole on and off the air.”

An advocate for today’s young people, Lapin started a weekly series called “Young People Who Rock” that looks at people under 30 who are making an impact in everything from politics and entertainment to athletics and business. “I knew that some of the young people making headlines – Paris and Britney – didn't represent young people today, so I started the series last April to show the real people speaking for the generation.”

Though her looks could easily put her in same category as Paris and Britney (actually, she looks like Lindsay Lohan) she seems intent on proving that young people can do more than stay out and party all night.

Even when asked what question she would ask each presidential candidate if she had the chance, Lapin says it would be whether they would support the creation of “AAYP” (American Association of Young People), an association that could complement AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons.

With so much of her career ahead of her and a resume that could pass as somebody ten years her senior, she says 15 years from now she has no intentions of retiring. “I just want to continue to work hard, always learning and teaching. I am banking on the idea that if I stay true to that, I’ll find my way.”

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