The mother of missing American teenager Natalee Holloway will visit Bermuda next week when she will urge students to take responsibility for their own safety.

Beth Holloway, whose 18-year-old daughter disappeared on a high school graduation trip in Aruba in 2005, will give a talk at Warwick Academy on Friday (October 2).

That evening she will be the guest speaker at the Physical Abuse Centre's 30th anniversary gala celebration at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, her first ever international engagement.

Ms Holloway, who is visiting the Island for the first time with son Matt, 21, told The Royal Gazette in a telephone interview yesterdaythat she would talk to students on personal safety.

"It's their responsibility to watch out for themselves," she said. "I have presented to tens of thousands of high school and college students. I remind the young girls to bring their plans for an evening full circle. They need to pay as much attention to how they end their evening as how to how they begin it."

Natalee was last seen by her classmates leaving a nightclub in the town of Oranjestad. After she missed her return flight home, her luggage and passport were discovered in her hotel room. Police suspected foul play but her body has never been found.

Ms Holloway, who has written a book, 'Loving Natalee — A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith', said she initially found her presentations to other youngsters cathartic.

Now she said her hope was simply to help others by sharing her story. "What I try to remind myself is that it's the choice that I have when I wake up every morning, whether I want to be bitter or positive.

"How do I want to live the rest of my life? Do I remain a victim or do I want to become a victor? I want to deliver help or aid to those who need it."

The 49-year-old speech pathologist said she was aware that there were a number of unsolved murder cases here and hoped to meet the relatives of those victims.

"I think that when two persons come together that share similar occurrences in their life, of course I think they can learn from each other. They can encourage each other and support each other."

Warwick principal Maggie McCorkell said Ms Holloway would speak to students aged 15 to 18. "She will do a presentation on personal safety for these students in our morning assembly. I feel this is an increasingly important area that all people, and especially young people, need to be aware of and the more exposure we can give them, then the better informed they will be."

l For tickets to the gala call 292-4366.