While playing the violin, Adrian wears a prosthesis that fits onto the end of his forearm. This enables him to hold his bow and feel vibrations of notes as they travel through the device and up his arm. He practices between 6 to 10 hours a day and has mastered violin techniques such as playing pizzicato and staccato. Adrian uses other prosthetic devices for his athletic activities that include swimming and weight lifting.

As a teenager, Adrian studied at the Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto. He served as concertmaster for its symphony orchestra and as ambassador for its 2000 Spring European Tours. He ranked second in the audition for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and was among its youngest members.

At age 18, Adrian was one of the seven chosen from 80 violinists, worldwide, who auditioned for acceptance into the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also won the Rosemary Kennedy International Young Soloist Award for 2002.

It's important to Adrian that people think of him as a wonderful musician and not a wonderful musician for not having a right hand. He wants people to judge him for what they hear, not what they see.

Girls have a right to accept and enjoy the bodies they were born with and not feel pressured to compromise their health in order to satisfy the dictates of an "ideal" physical image. This passage from the Girls Bill of Rights issued by Girls Inc., an organization of which Deidra is an active member, inspired her to enter its essay writing contest. As one of the winners, Deidra's prize was a trip to the Girls Inc. Production Camp in Los Angeles. There she participated in a week-long TV production workshop alongside Hollywood professionals. The resulting 30-second public service announcement depicts poolside friends persuading bundled-up Deidra to stop worrying about her appearance and join them for a swim. Taking a deep breath, Deidra peels off her baggy outer clothing, revealing her swimsuit, then dives into the pool amidst cheering friends. The clip was aired across the country on cable networks including Disney, Nickelodeon, Fox Family, Cartoon, BET, and Lifetime.

As winner of CosmoGIRL of the Year Award, Deidra was spotlighted in the magazine's December/January 2002 issue. The photograph shows her wearing a swimsuit and a smile with a caption reading "The Goddess". Deidra was also a guest of the Ananda Lewis Show.

Thinking this normal, she listened and obeyed. The voices told Joan that it was her fate to unite France against the ruling English. To convince people to take her seriously and help her unite France, she dressed and acted like a man. At age 17, she led King Charles VII's troops to victory.

Later Britain and Burgundy plotted Charles' demise and captured Joan. She was accused of witchcraft and dressing as a man, which was a crime against the church. No one spoke on her behalf, nor did Charles attempt to pay her ransom. Since she could not produce a sign of a spiritual encounter, she was found guilty of witchcraft, punishable by death. Although she spoke well for herself, promised to obey the church and give up her men's clothing, she would not rescind the fact that she had heard voices from God. The verdict was reached; she would be executed at dawn. May 30, 1431, 19-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at the stake as a witch. She did not cry out against her accuser, but focusing on a wooden cross enabled her to maintain her faith. As her body burned, she saw visions of Saint Catherine.

Twenty years after her death, Charles VII ordered an investigation of her trial, and the original verdict was annulled. Five hundred years later, the Roman Catholic Church proclaimed Joan of Arc a saint. Now the patron saint of France, Joan's feast day, May 30, is celebrated as a French national holiday.

Kay Lauren, who has overcome dyslexia, knows how important it is for children to read. "Reading is the basis of knowledge," she said, "so I wanted to help make sure that needy children would have books to read."

She began by contacting homeless shelters to see if they needed books, and when several responded, Kay Lauren held her first drive in 1997. Its success prompted her to begin recruiting student volunteers to help her promote future book drives, collect and sort donated books, and get them into the hands of underprivileged kids.

By the year 2001, she has collected more than 20,000 books and set up libraries at shelters, daycare centers, and elementary schools in Virginia, Washington, D. C., and Maryland. She also sent 400 books to a small town in South Dakota after a tornado destroyed its library.

As a junior at James Madison High School, Kay Lauren was honored by Prudential as one of America's Top Ten Youth Volunteers for 2001.