She started studying violin at age 4 with Yukako Tarumi in Queens, New York. She spent 7 summers at the Perlman Music Program in the Hampton, and for the past eight years has studied with Patinka Kopec at the Manhattan School of Music.

"At age 14, I had the best day of my life to date. I performed with Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and the Israel Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. I had been chosen as one among thirty-five of the top young string players in the world to be part of the Perlman Music Program. I got on stage and never wanted to leave. I wanted the performance to last forever."

Meena practices about 3 hours a day, one hour on technique and two on repertoire. Her Saturdays are spent at music school. She says, "I rarely had time to go to parties or talk daily with friends on the phone, which is a sacrifce when you're a teen. I also sacrificed my love for sports, because I can't afford the time or the risk of injury."

She adds, "My home life has always been disciplined. I have learned to get my work done before having fun and how to prioritize and schedule myself to work most efficiently." Meena credits her musical achievements to family support, especially from her mom who has driven her the long distance to and from lessons. "My mother has always been backstage with me before all my performances, cheering me on and giving me confidence. She has encouraged me to follow my heart and my dream and to always strive to be better."

Meena explains, "The violin started as something I enjoyed, performing and traveling all over the world with it. I didn't know that I couldn't live without it until around age thirteen or fourteen. I realized that it was my passion when it started to touch me so deeply inside. I got the chills and goose bumps when I played and listened to music. I just recently realized that I could achieve a level of success with it. I haven't always had confidence in myself and in the violin, so I never thought it might be what I wanted for my life. I think I always played because I love it. I never played to be the best.

A few years later, after meeting two missionaries who had started a school for Maasai girls in Tanzania, Ashley decided to focus on helping young African women get an education. She began seeking the assistance of friends, neighbors, and family members, and before long, she had established a non-profit organization called AfricAid. She produced a brochure to describe her mission, developed a newsletter, launched a website, organized several fundraisers, and over the past two years has spent countless hours speaking to church groups, civic clubs, school organizations, and others about her cause. Ashley hopes the impact of her work will go far beyond the girls she is helping. "After they graduate, they will either be able to continue their education, become teachers themselves, or return to their village and make the health, economic and social changes they so badly need and desire."

As a senior at Colorado Academy in Dever, Ashley was honored by Prudential as one of the National Top Ten Volunteers of 2003.

Family, friends, and dignitaries attended the January 2, 2002 swearing in ceremony held at the Mercer County Courthouse. The outgoing mayor, 78-year-old John G. Johnson, said, "I'm so thrilled that Chris ran. He's a wonderful person, a good young man from a wonderful family. I held the Bible for him...was glad to."

Christopher is a lifetime resident of Mercer, a small community of 2,391 residents. He credits his parents as two of his greatest inspirations. They taught him to, "Always shoot for the top, and overcome any obstacle". He also credits his group of close friends who, while he was running for office, would approach him at school and ask how they could help with his campaign. After school they would distribute flyers or do what needed to be done.

Christopher devotes his time "giving back to the community". He's sacrificed family vacations and hanging out with friends to fulfill his duties as part-time mayor. He spends his mornings in classes at Westminster College, takes a brief lunch, then may spend time reading to kids at the local elementary school. He dedicates the rest of his day at the mayor's office, sometimes staying as late as 10 o'clock at night.

The greatest difficulty Christopher has encountered as mayor has been convincing people that a teenager is capable of serving as a public official. He says many teenagers have written to him saying that they also have trouble being taken seriously because of their age. Chris says, "My generation is a bright group of people who work hard." He feels that the media has cast a bad light on young people as being lazy and apathetic which is not correct. Christopher has been getting a great deal of media attention since his election and receives over 50 pieces of fan mail a week from teenagers across the country.

The young republican's goal after graduating from college is to become a political analyst. He's also considering the possibility of running for United States president.

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