The Kids Hall of Fame Inductees
14-Year-Old Extraordinary Achievers
ACTIVIST: ANIMAL RIGHTS
Lou Wegner (within 2 years) helped 20,000 pets escape euthanasia, due the the organization he founded, Kids Against Animal Cruelty. It uses social networking to encourage adoptions at high-kill animal shelters.
(Columbus, Ohio: 2009)
Illustrated by Jiani Ma
ACTIVIST: CHILD RIGHTS
Joud Mbaideen became Jordan’s UNICEF Child Rights Champion. (Jordan: 2019)
Ryan White, an AIDS patient, became an AIDS rights activist.
(Indiana: 1986)
Illustrated by Daniel Pacificador
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Miles Brown played the role of Jack Johnson in Black-ish, an American sitcom, ABC-TV series for eight seasons, from 2014 to 2022.
(Oxnard, California: 2019)
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Hilary Duff performed the starring role in the American comedy television series Lizzie McGuire.
(Houston, Texas: 2003)
Illustrated by Daniel Pacificador
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Shahadi Wright Joseph played the voice role of young Nala in the film The Lion King.
(Brooklyn, New York: 2019)
Learn about Shahadi as:
– an actress: age 11
Oona Laurence won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film, for the role she played as Natalie in Pete’s Dragon. Oona also played the role of Ambrosia Reed in the film Little Boxes, and Jane Mitchell in Bad Moms.
(New York City, New York: 2016)
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Aidan McCann played the role of David Flynn in season 2 of Apple TV’s “Bad Sisters”.
(Ireland: 2024)
Story and Photo: Courtesy of Aidan, His Parents & Brennan Acting Agency
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Marsai Martin performed in the show Blackish. Her message is, “When you really believe in something, you will stand up for it. You will push for it to become a reality.”
(Plano, Texas: 2018)
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Storm Reid played the role of Meg Murry, the main character in A Wrinkle in Time.
(Atlanta Georgia: 2018)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Christina Ricci performed as Kat in Casper, based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character, Casper the Friendly Ghost. She also performed the younger version of Rosie O’Donnell’s character, Roberta, in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film Now and Then. In addition, Christina performed as Beth Easton in Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain.
(Los Angeles, California: 1995)
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Hailee Steinfeld was cast to play Juliet in the adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. She also played Petra Arakanian in Ender’s Game.
Hailee was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award (Oscar) and Screen Actors Guild Award for her previous role as Mattie Ross in True Grit.
(Los Angeles, California: 2011)
ADVOCATE: UNICEF
YOUTH ADVOCATES FOR UNICEF
Emmanuel Jidisa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa: 2021)
Priyanka Lalla (Trinidad and Tobago: 2020)
Joud Mbaideen (Jordan: 2018)
Biljana Stojković (Serbia: 2018)
AMBASSADOR: GOODWILL
Millie Bobby Brown, British actress, starring in Stranger Things, became UNICEF’s youngest-ever goodwill ambassador.
(Orlando, Florida: 2018)
AMBASSADOR: GOODWILL
Aidan Gallagher, American actor and musician, became a United Nation’s Environment Goodwill Ambassador for North America.
(Los Angeles, California: 2019)
AMBASSADOR: HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
YOUTH AMBASSADORS FOR
THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
Sean Bender-Prouty (Arlington, Virginia: 2018)
Ashton Mota (Lowell, Massachusetts: 2020)
Molly Pinta (Buffalo Grove, Illinois: 2021)
Savannah Skyler (Eagle Mountain, Utah: 2020)
AMBASSADOR: TAAF
YOUTH AMBASSADORS FOR
THE ANEURYSM AND AVM FOUNDATION
Mariah Fisher (California: 2020)
ANIMATOR
Preston Mutanga was hired to animate the Lego Spider-Man sequence in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Prior to that, Preston made stop-motion Lego videos on his YouTube page for fun. They caught the attention of the movie producers Chris Lord and Phil Miller.
Preston’s advice, “People can do big, unexpected things; don’t let anyone tell you you can’t. Because your definitely can do it.”
(Toronto, Canada: 2023)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
APP DESIGNER / CREATOR
Robert Nay created Bubble Ball, a 156-level puzzle gaming app involving principles of physics. Within two weeks of its release, it had more than 2 million downloads. Before designing the app, Robert researched mobile software programming in his local library. He then spent about a month creating the game by writing 4,000 lines of code. Bubble Ball was named app of the week by Corona Labs, the software development company that made the software kit Robert used.
(Utah: 2010)
Illustrated by Kathan Dorriety
ARTIST: PAINTER
Michael White was hired by the New Hope Baptist Church to paint a mural of the Jordan River for their baptismal pool. The mural gained a lot of attention and caught the eye of the local newspaper, The Rock Hill Evening Herald, which had published his swan drawing 4 years earlier. The paper sent a reporter and a photographer out to interview Michael at his home. After seeing a variety of his work, including a portrait of his stepfather, they offered Michael a special job. A week later they made Michael the youngest courtroom artist in history by hiring him to do live sketches for a local trial. Michael’s live courtroom sketches were published over several consecutive days in the month in June 1979.
All this spotlight helped to catapult Michael on to greater achievements. Michael was sought after to do artwork for other churches, local health food stores, theaters and even his very own junior his school, which enlisted his work for their events and publications.
(York, South Carolina: 1978)
Illustrated by Michael White
Learn about Michael as:
– an artist: age 10, age 11, age 17
ARTIST: PAINTER
Wang Yani became the youngest person to have a one-person show at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Yani (in China, a person’s last name is written first), explained, “When you pick up a brush don’t even ask anyone for help. Because the most wonderful thing about painting is being left alone with your own imagination. I do not paint to get praise from others, but to play a game of endless joy.”
(Guangxi, China: 1989)
Illustrated by Daniel Pacificador
ATHLETE: CROSS-COUNTRY CYCLIST
Hart Moss, with his 9-year-old brother Starr, along with adults, biked 4,000 miles across the United States from New York to California in 16 weeks. They used their trip to raise money to help inner city kids enjoy outdoor activities.
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 1996)
ATHLETE: DIVER
Nils Skoglund won the silver medal in the plain high-diving event at the 1920 Olympics. He was the youngest Summer Olympic medalist in an individual event.
(Stockholm, Sweden: 1920)
Illustrated by Kathan Dorriety
ATHLETE: FIGURE-SKATER
Tara Lipinski, a national figure-skating champion, achieved the honor of World Champion Figure Skater.
(Sugar Land, Texas: 1997)
Illustrated by Daniel Pacificador
ATHLETE: GOLFER
Phachara Khongwatmai was the youngest winner of a professional golf tournament – the Hua Hin Open on the South East Asia’s ASEAN PGA Tour.
(Thailand: 2013)
ATHLETE: GOLFER
Guan Tianlang became the youngest golfer to play at the US Masters. His final score was 300.
(China: 2013)
Illustrated by Ivy Guo
ATHLETE: GOLFER
Tiger Woods won the Optimist International Junior World Golf Championship for the fifth time and was the youngest-ever to win the Insurance Youth Gold Classic. Tiger won second place in the PGA National Junior Championship, and went on to become one of the most accomplished athletes of all time.
(Cypress, California: 1990)
Visit Tiger’s website.
ATHLETE: GYMNAST
Nadia Comaneci became the best all-round gymnast in the world, at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and the first gymnast in Olympic history to be awarded the perfect score of 10.0. In the following days, she also received six more perfect 10s taking home three gold medals.
(Romania: 1976)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
ATHLETE: GYMNAST
Dominique Moceanu became the youngest U.S. gymnast in history to win an Olympic gold medal. She was also the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team which became known and the “Magnificent Seven.” Dominique trained 40 hours a week. Dominique also became the youngest person featured on a Wheaties box.
(United States: 1996)
Illustrated by Ivy Guo
ATHLETE: TENNIS PLAYER
Maria Sharapova became a professional tennis player.
(Russia: 2001)
ATHLETE: TENNIS PLAYER
Venus Williams played in her first professional tennis tournament.
(West Palm Beach, Florida: 1994)
Illustrated by Daniel Pacificador
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Bethany Hamilton authored her book, soulsurfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. In it, she explained that winning a competition is a “combination of perfecting your skill and keeping a positive outlook.” She also explained, “I am living proof that there’s no such thing as a handicap – it’s only in your head.”
In Bethany’s 2018 New York Times bestselling book, BE UNSTOPPABLE: The Art of Never Giving Up, she explained that surfing with one arm got to be so normal to her, that she couldn’t remember surfing with two arms. Bethany’s courage and talent led to her inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
(Kauai, Hawaii: 2004)
Book Cover: Permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Visit Bethany’s website.
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Sydney Jeffrey became the published author of New Kid Rule Book. This 40-page book was published by Young Authors Publishing.
(Atlanta, Georgia: 2021)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Gordon Korman became a best-selling author.
(Ontario, Canada: 1978)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Julia Lee became the published author of Seahorses DownUnder.
(Australia: 2000)
Illustrated by Elgin Bolling
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Caleb Maddix authored and published the book Keys to Success for Kids. Caleb explained, “Some people are so afraid of the pain, but what hurts more? The pain of hard work or the pain of regret?”
He added, “Wait, I wanna write a book, why can’t I do it now?”
(Florida: 2014)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Jaida Powell had her 32-page book, What If No One Hears Me? published by Young Authors Publishing. The main character, Amelia, creates a wooden frog that plays music After Amelia sells her creation, she wonders if it will find a home that recognizes its value.
(Atlanta, Georgia: 2022)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Joshua Sussman, with his brother, Jacob, age 11, coauthored their first book. It discusses two of their inventions, a brief history of important inventions, as well as scientific and legal terms inventors need to know.
(2012)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Mikayla Wright became the published author of From Me to You. She explains, “This collection of my poems and short stories comes from my heart. It’s what I have witnessed, what I have seen.”
(Jamaica: 2020)
Photo: Courtesy of Mikayla and Her Mom
Learn more…
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHED BOOK
Stacy Chbosky
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 1986)
BRIDGE PLAYER: LIFE MASTER
The youngest people to earn the title of Life Master, by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) which is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the card game were:
Adair Gellman (Bethesda, Maryland: 1982)
Tricia Thomas (Las Cruces, New Mexico: 1982)
Steve Cochran (Palo Alto, California: 1977)
Regina Barnes (Modesto, California: 1976)
CARTOGRAPHER
Nathan Lu is a drone cartographer, a person who uses drones to study and make maps. Before he sets his drone in the air, Nathan makes sure there aren’t any low-flying planes in the area. He also makes sure there are no geozones (virtual boundaries). If there are, he obtains permission to send his drone into that airspace.
(Long Beach, California: 2020)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
Learn more…
CHAMPION / CO-CHAMPION:
SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
Zaila Avant-garde correctly spelled “murraya”. She had practiced competitively for two years.
(Harvey, Louisiana: 2021)
Kerry Close correctly spelled “ursprache”. She had competed in the spelling bee four times before winning in her fifth attempt, which was her final year of eligibility.
(Spring Lake, New Jersey: 2006)
Sai R. Gunturi correctly spelled “pococurante”.
(Dallas, Texas: 2003)
Sriram Hathwar correctly spelled “stichomythia”. His brother, Jairam Hathwar, was the 2016 co-champion at age 11.
(Painted Post, New York: 2014)
Erin Howard correctly spelled “erysipelas”.
(Huntsville, Alabama: 2019)
Nupur Lala correctly spelled “ogorrhea”.
(Tampa Bay, Florida: 1999)
CHAMPION / CO-CHAMPION:
SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
Harini Logan correctly spelled 21 words in a 90-second speed round (spell-off).
(San Antonio, Texas: 2022)
Snigdha Nandipati correctly spelled “guetapens”.
(San Diego, California: 2012)
Karthik Nemmani correctly spelled “koinonia”.
(McKinney, Texas: 2018)
Sukanya Roy correctly spelled “cymotrichous”.
(South Abington, Pennsylvania: 2011)
Dev Shah correctly spelled “psammophile”.
(Largo, Florida: 2023)
David Tidmarsh correctly spelled “autochthonous”.
(South Bend, Indiana: 2004)
Anamika Veeramani correctly spelled “stromuhr”.
(Cleveland, Ohio: 2010)
Gokul Venkatachalam correctly spelled “nunatak”.
(St. Louis, Missouri: 2015)
CHESS: GRANDMASTER
Etienne Bacrot
(France: 1997)
CHESS: GRANDMASTER
Fabiano Caruana, who is a dual citizen of Italy and the United States, played chess for the U.S. until 2005, then transferred his national federation affiliation to Italy. At 14, Fabiano became the youngest grandmaster in the history of both Italy and the U.S. at the time.
(Italy: 2007)
Illustrated by Liam Giblin
Visit Fabiano’s website.
CHESS: GRANDMASTER
Aryan Chopra (New Delhi, India: 2016)
Jorge Cori (Peru: 2009)
Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania: 2016)
Daniil Dubov (Russia: 2011)
Arjun Erigaisi (India: 2018)
Alireza Firouzja (Iran: 2017)
CHESS: GRANDMASTER
Anish Giri (Russia: 2009)
Yuriy Kuzubov (Ukraine: 2004)
Peter Leko (Hungary: 1994)
Awonder Liang (United States: 2017)
Illya Nyzhnyk (Ukraine: 2010)
Wesley So (Philippines: 2007)
CHESS: GRANDMASTER
Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine: 1997)
Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan: 2001)
Ray Robson (United States: 2009)
Nihal Sarin (India: 2018)
Kirill Shevchenko (Ukraine: 2017)
Dariusz Swiercz (Poland: 2009)
CHESS: GRANDMASTER
Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Vietnam: 2004)
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France: 2005)
Jeffery Xiong (United States: 2015)
Yu Yangyi (China: 2009)
Hou Yifan became the youngest female ever to achieve grandmaster status. (China: 2008)
CHESS: INTERNATIONAL MASTER
CHESS: INTERNATIONAL MASTER
Robert James “Bobby” Fischer achieved the chess status of US Champion as well as International Master. Bobby explained, “You can only get good at chess if you love the game.”
(Brooklyn, New York: 1957)
CHESS: INTERNATIONAL MASTER
COLLEGE GRADUATE
Eugenie Carys de Silva became the youngest Harvard graduate.
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
COLLEGE GRADUATE
Erik Demaine obtained his bachelor’s degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(Nova Scotia, Canada: 1995)
COLLEGE GRADUATE
COLLEGE GRADUATE
Shania Muhammad graduated with an associate degree from Langston University (with Summa Cum Laude honor) and Oklahoma City Community College, both located in Oklahoma. Shania advises, “Don’t let your age be the ceiling to your potential…You cannot let that be a barrier to your life…Be confident in what you believe you can do and never limit yourself.”
Shania’s advice to parents, “You’ve got to find the greatness within your child; it’s not about comparing them to anyone else.”
(Langston, Oklahoma: 2022)
Illustrated by Soleil Oladeji
COLLEGE GRADUATE
Dorothy Jean (DJ) Tillman graduated from Unity College Distance Education Program with a Master’s degree in Sustainable Science and Environmental Planning. Her messages is, “It doesn’t take a genius. It just takes dedication.” She entered the field of environmental engineering because, as she says, “It’s all about helping people, the environment, and that’s just what I love to do, that’s what makes me happy…I feel like I’m here to make people happy and to help people find their purpose.”
(Chicago, Illinois: 2021)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
COLLEGE GRADUATE
Norbert Wiener graduated cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree, specializing in math, from Tufts College, now Tufts University.
(Medford, Massachusetts: 1909)
Illustrated by Anahita Erfani
COMPOSER
Alma Deutschner made her debut in the sold-out Carnegie Hall, to repeated standing ovations. The concert was dedicated to Alma’s own compositions, and included her new concert waltz: Siren Sounds, her violin concerto, her piano concerto (with Alma as soloist in both), and highlights from Alma’s opera Cinderella.
(Basingstoke, England: 2019)
Photo: Courtesy of Alma and Her Parents
Visit Alma’s website.
DESIGNER
William Kamkwamba designed and built an electricity-producing windmill that brought electricity and water to his home in the Malawian Village of Africa. He created it from scrap metal, bamboo, and a bicycle wheel.
William’s story was chronicled in an award-wining feature length documentary film William and the Windmill. He released his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind which was selected as a required book for all incoming Auburn University students.
(Kasungu, Malawi, Africa: 2001)
Illustrated by Michael White
Visit William’s website.
Learn about William as:
– a speaker: age 19
DONOR: HAIR
Hailey Coates, for the fifth time, donated her hair to Wigs for Kids, a non-profit organization that makes free wigs for kids who lose their hair due to medical reasons. Hailey began donating her hair every two years, beginning at age 6 and continuing through age 16.
(New Providence, New Jersey: 2016)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
ENVIRONMENTALIST
Ryan Hickman reached the 2,000,000 items recycled goal since starting his company, Ryan’s Recycling, at age 3.
(San Juan Capistrano, California: 2024)
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan’s Recycling
Visit Ryan’s website.
ENVIRONMENTALIST
ENVIRONMENTALIST
FOUNDER
Sean Belnick founded BizChair.com, one of the first online-only office furniture stores/retailers. Sean received much insight from his trusted advisor who is his stepfather, Gary Glazer, who worked as a manufacturer’s representative for office furniture. Sean realized that lots of customers had no need for face-to-face interaction when buying office furniture. So he taught himself HTML programming and built a website to sell office chairs directly to consumers. Sean initially invested $500 to launched his business during the summer he started high school. He thought, “Worse case, I’d lose $500, if I failed.” By 2005, at age 18, Sean’s business turned him into a millionaire.
(Canton, Georgia: 2001)
Illustrated by Kathan Dorriety
Learn about Sean as:
– an entrepreneur: age 13
– a millionaire: age 18
FOUNDER
Caleb Maddix founded and served as CEO of the Kids 4 Success organization.
(Florida: 2014)
Daniel Nally co-founded Turkeys “R” US, a non-profit organization that provides Thanksgiving turkeys for the less fortunate.
(Massachusetts: 2002)
FOUNDER
Genshu Price founded Bottles4College, a non-profit organization to collect recyclable bottles and cans to pay for college tuition for at least one or two kids in Hawaii who want to go to college. Within its first year, Bottles4College raised $16,298.93 through recycling deposits – approximately 325,566 cans and bottles.
(Hawaii: 2021)
Photo & Logo Image: Courtesy of Genshu
Visit the Bottles4College website.
FUNDRAISER
Denis Cordova established a fund to provide social activities and emotional support for young cancer victims.
(1997)
Megan Doherty raised funds for Chernobyl cancer victims.
(Lemont, Illinois: 1998)
Anna Johnson raised funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
(2002)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
HUMANITARIAN
Angela Hedian explained, “I knew I couldn’t change the world, but I could take some steps to make a few people’s lives better.”
Clayton Lillard refurbished used bicycles and donated them at Christmas.
(San Antonio, Texas: 2003)
Brian McLellan created Easter baskets for needy children.
(2001)
INVENTOR
Alissa Chavez invented and patented Hot Seat, an alarm system that prevents children from being accidentally left in a car. Alissa, whose invention began as her school science fair project, explains, “I heard so many stories about children dying from being accidentally left in a hot car and I knew there had to be a solution.”
Hot Seat is a small, simple, sensor pad that can be placed with a child, in any infant, toddler, or booster car seat. It is connected, via Bluetooth, to the parent’s smart phone. If the child is in the seat and the cell phone is 15 feet or more away from the vehicle, an alarm will sound, alerting the parent/driver. Hot Seat is truly a life saver, and so is Alissa.
(Albuquerque, New Mexico: 2014)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
INVENTOR
Philo T. Farnsworth drafted his first sketch devising the way to transmit pictures through the air. This became the basis for creating the first television.
(Indian Creek, Utah: 1921)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
INVENTOR
Grayson Rosenberger invented a lightweight, cushiony, inexpensive, cosmetic cover to disguise the metal rod of prosthetic (artificial) limbs. He created it from Bubble Wrap, the popular plastic packaging most people discard. He covered it with a flesh-colored stocking to look more lifelike. Jim McElhinery, CPO of the Nashville Orthotics & Prosthetic Services, gave Grayson expert guidance to help make the invention a reality.
Inspiration for Grayson’s invention was derived from at least 4 sources.
#1: A teacher at his school, Franklin Road Academy, informed students of the first-ever Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors.
#2: Grayson’s mother had lost both her legs as a result of a car accident, before he was born.
(Nashville, Tennessee: 2006)
Illustrated by Kathan Dorriety
Learn more…
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Cristian Marian Becheanu volunteered to rescue a toddler who had fallen into a well. Cristian then was lowered, head first, into the 50-foot-deep well. It was barely wide enough for him to fit, and too narrow for adults to fit. While many were holding their breath, Cristian brought the child up safely.
(Segarcea, Romania: 2013)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Tacita Gray, her mom (Irene Hall) and two family friends decided to spend the day at the hotel where Irene worked. When everyone else went inside for lunch, Irene decided to take a dip in the pool. About ten minutes later, Tacita had a feeling that something wasn’t right and decided to go check on her mom. When she got to the poolside, Tacita found her mom lying on the bottom of the pool, unconscious.
(Fort Myers, Florida: 2000)
Learn more…
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Marcos Ugarte climbed an outdoor ladder, held by his father, Eduardo, to a second-story bedroom window, and saved an 8-year-old neighbor trapped in a burning home. Marcos, a freshman at Gresham High School, was hailed by peers and teachers, as a “Hero”. Marcos explained, “I can’t say I really consider myself a hero. I think anyone would have done what I did.”
(Troutdale, Oregon: 2012)
MAGICIAN
Jasper Cherry performed his magic act on Britain’s Got Talent.
(United Kingdom: 2020)
MAGICIAN
MAGICIAN
MUSICIAN: SINGER
Kelvin Dukes sang “Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin, in front of 3,000 people on America’s Got Talent 2020.
(Montgomery County, Maryland: 2020)
MUSICIAN: SINGER
Renata Flores sang Michael Jackson’s song “The Way You Make Me Feel” in her native language Quechua, which helped make her a YouTube celebrity.
(Peru: 2015)
Illustrated by Lisa Subryan
MUSICIAN: SINGER
Courtney Hadwin competed in NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Season 13. She sang Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” which inspired judge Howie Mandel to give her a Golden Buzzer.
In December of that year, Courtney signed a record deal with Syco Entertainment and Arista Records. Her first album, “The Cover Sessions”, was released in October 2019.
(England: 2018)
MUSICIAN: SINGER
Tegan Marie – country singer and songwriter
(Grand Blanc, Michigan: 2017)
MUSICIAN: SINGER, SONGWRITER
& UKULELEIST
Grace VanderWaal, singer, songwriter, and ukuleleist, performed at DTE Energy Music Theatre in support of Imagine Dragons. She also performed onstage ath the Austin 360 Amphitheatre in Austin, Texas.
(Suffern, New York: 2018)
POLITICIAN: CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR
Ethan Sonneborn, a Democrat, ran for governor of Vermont. Only two states in the US lack an age requirement for state governor, Vermont and Kansas. Ethan wanted his campaign to inspire young voters. His message is, “It’s on us to build our own future. You’ve got to get involved. You’ve got to vote. You’ve got to knock on doors. It’s how we’re going to make the changes we want to see in the state, in this country, in this world. When we get involved, we make our democracy stronger.”
(Vermont: 2018)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
PRODUCER: FILM
Marsai Martin produced her film Little, which was released in 2019. It earned Marsai the official title “The Youngest Hollywood Executive Producer” which appeared in the 2021 edition of the Guinness World Records book. Marsai explains, “…anything is possible, no matter how old you are, no matter what time, what place, it has to all start with you.”
(Plano, Texas: 2019)
Illustrated by Alexandra Holliday
PUBLISHER: MAGAZINE
Kimeila Campbell launched YNTY (You’re Never Too Young) magazine, for kid influencers, entrepreneurs and public figures up to age 18. “It’s to build their confidence level while supporting their hopes and their dreams.” She advises young people, “Don’t procrastinate too much. It will get you caught up from what you have to do.”
(Jamaica, New York: 2022)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
PUBLISHER: MAGAZINE
REPORTER:
"SCHOLASTIC KIDS PRESS"
Caleb Biney explained, I hope to learn how to write flavorful stories that get people’s attention and interest.”
(Africa: School Year 2016 – 2017)
Read Caleb’s articles.
Dana Chaaban
(Lebanon: School Year 2021 – 2022)
Read Dana’s articles.
Teresa Fang explained, “I hope my stories will help other people develop their confidence, independence, and optimism.”
(North Carolina: School Year 2020 – 2021)
Read Teresa’ articles.
Kendra Adaeze Ichoku explained, “Since the world is a global village, it is essential to have knowledge of current affairs.”
(Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Africa: School Year 2016 – 2017)
Read Kendra’s articles.
Bryce Jones explained, “I want to share inspiring stories, especially those that may not be known by the public.”
(Georgia: School Year: 2019 – 2020)
Read Bryce’s articles.
Bridget Li explained, “The truth is meant to be shared, and I want to do that.”
(Austin, Texas: School Year 2016 – 2017)
Read Bridget’s articles.
Brian Kan King Lun explained, “I hope that what I write will help others understand what was happening in the world during my childhood.”
(Hong Kong: School Year 2022 – 2023)
Read Brian’s articles.
REPORTER:
"SCHOLASTIC KIDS PRESS"
Rade Meech-Tatic
(The Czech Republic: School Year 2019 – 2020)
Read Rade’s articles.
Manu Onteeru explained, “I want to be able to tell the world about what is happening now and what I think about current events.”
(Sterling, Virginia: School Year 2016 – 2017)
Read Manu’s articles.
Ava Park-Matt explained, “I’d like to show other kids that they can help make the world a better place and have fun doing it.”
Ava advised, “Don’t give up. Love and accept others. And especially love yourself.”
(New Jersey: School Year 2019 – 2022)
Read Ava’s articles.
Ella Porter explained, “Knowing that my thoughts are being shared with others around the world fills my heart with love and joy!”
(California: School Year 2021 – 2022)
Read Ella’s articles.
Mujtaba Raja explained, “My curiosity has indirectly shaped my interests and determination to get to the bottom of the truth.”
(New Jersey: School Year 2021 – 2022)
Read Mujtaba’s articles.
Emilia Sato
(Wisconsin: School Year 2020 – 2021)
Read Emilia’s articles.
Benjamin Schiller explained, “I want to develop my skills as a journalist and a writer.”
(Boca Raton, Florida: School Year 2016 – 2017)
Read Benjamin’s articles.
Konrad Paul Schwarz explained, “I have always been so curious about the world, and I love to ask questions.”
(New York: School Year 2019 – 2020)
Read Konrad’s articles.
REPORTER:
"SCHOLASTIC KIDS PRESS"
Anais Singh-Gee explained, “I have so many stories that I can’t wait to write.”
(Los Angeles, California: School Year 2016 – 2017)
Read Anais’ articles.
Titus Smith III explained, “My energy and determination will shine as I report the news.”
(Michigan: School Year: 2019 – 2020)
Read Titus’ articles.
Josh Stiefel explained, “I would love the opportunity to learn about how people of other backgrounds live.”
(New Jersey: School Year 2019 – 2020)
Read Josh’s articles.
Nanaka Takahashi explained, “I think introducing cutting-edge science and topics to the world would be genuinely exciting.”
(Japan: School Year 2022 – 2023)
Read Nanaka’s articles.
Zhoriél Tapo explained, “No matter your age, you can make a difference.”
(Louisiana: School Year 2022 – 2023)
Read Zhoriél’s articles.
Benjamin Who explained, “I want to spotlight people who work tirelessly to improve and enrich their communities.”
(Texas: School Year 2019 – 2020)
Read Benjamin’s articles.
Ethan Zucker explained, “I’m interested in the characteristics of leaders and how they form their agendas.”
(Summit, New Jersey: School Year 2016 – 2017)
Read Ethan’s articles.
REPORTER:
"TIME FOR KIDS" MAGAZINE
Mina Fedor
(Piedmont, California: 2022 – 2023)
Erin Jeon
(Irvine, California: 2017 – 2018)
SPEAKER: MOTIVATIONAL
Ryan Hickman, founder of Ryan’s Recycling, was a keynote speaker at the International Kids Conference in Indonesia.
(San Juan Capistrano, California: 2024)
Photo: Courtesy of Ryan’s Recycling
Visit Ryan’s website.
SPEAKER: MOTIVATIONAL
Ayinde Jean-Baptiste explained, “When you give a speech, you have to have passion. You have to feel the message in order for others to feel it too.”
(Chicago, Illinois: 2003)
Eve May spoke at international workplace summits, and has been in a Nike campaign where she shares advice for coaches interested in working with trans and nonbinary youth. Eve, a Trans GenderCool Project Champion, explains, “Being gender cool means being able to create and express yourself, no matter who you are or what you do, and not be judged for it. One thing I want the world to know is that YOU, in this lifetime, decide and define who you want to be. You shouldn’t let others define and decide who you are as a person, and you choose your own path in this world.”
(United States: 2022)
Learn about Eve as:
– a speaker: age 8
SPOKESPERSON
Clinton Brown III was chosen to carry the Olympic torch after President Clinton, around the Washington Monument in Washington, D. C. Clinton earned this honor due to his work as a former poster child and spokesperson for Variety, The Children’s Charity of New York.
“I felt proud to wear the red, white, and blue,” Clinton explained. “Passing the flame is like passing the U.S. coat of honor. There’s a sense of brotherhood, a sense of nationalism.”
(Hicksville, New York: 1996)
Photo: Courtesy of Clinton and His Parents
Learn more…
Learn about Clinton as:
– an actor: age 11
– an ambassador: age 13
– a spokesperson: age 10
VENTRILOQUIST
Darci Lynne
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 2017)