many people say they want to write a book; most of those people will never achieve that goal. thirteen year old brooklyn native angela content doesn't have to worry about losing sight of that dream. she has already written and published two novels. and she is hard at work on book number three. once angela decided this is what she wanted to do, she didn't procrastinate. instead she got to work handwriting the stories she needed to share. it takes her about three months. once she's done, she has a two hundred page manuscript on her hands. next, angela uses CreateSpace for the editing and publishing process. angela's books are available to buy on amazon and barnes and noble. already, she has racked up a few hundred dollars in sales which go towards her college fund. angela content is eager to continue her writing but also has interests in becoming a financial planner. with her track record, we bet she'll do exactly that.
do you watch 'master chef junior?' well, i must admit, i'm addicted to the show. youngsters from ages 8-12 compete in various cooking competitions until one is crowned the winner. don't let the age of the contestants fool you. these kiddies are cooking at professional capacity. one top chef was adaiah. this girl can seriously throw down in the kitchen. her meals were not only delicious but pretty as well. adaiah made it to the top ten against thousands of others and placed third in the competition. because of her talent, skill and discipline, we felt the need to shine the spotlight on ms. adaiah and congratulate her on her accomplishments. looking forward to eating at one of her restaurants in the near future.
grace callwood is our little angel. after being diagnosed with cancer, she had every right to pout about her unfortunate luck. but instead of wallowing in self pity, grace conquered cancer and began her mission to help children in unfortunate situations (the sick, the homeless and poverty stricken). after convincing her mother of her capabilities, grace created a non-profit organization known as "can-serve" with a board full of kind-hearted young people like herself. grace's vision soon became a reality as they successfully raised money and pulled off projects that made children happier. this includes children in her home state of maryland as well as kids in kenya. besides donating clothing, toys and beauty products to shelters, can-serve's initiatives include creating "transfunners,' a self decorated pillowcase to hide the IV apparatus and donating books with homemade dolls of the characters to children's wings of the hospital. grace is certainly a Godsend. both she and her mother have proven to be black girls full of grace and worthy of praise.
taylor moxey is a special kind of kid. besides living her regular eight year old life, she has become a pastry chef and an entrepreneur. by selling her handcrafted specialty cupcakes, taylor has already netted thousands of dollars. after taking home first place at the KISS Country Conrnbread Competition, demand for her desserts dramatically increased. taylor actually won against professional adult chefs. with a little help from her parents, she was able to create a thriving business with clients that include Citibank and even HGTV's Bobby Berk. to keep up to date with her craft, taylor likes to watch a lot of food network television. she also donates a portion of her profits to organizations supporting dyslexia awareness. i think her last name is no coincidence; taylor is certainly full of moxie.
graduating high school is a big deal for everyone. but, if you had the last couple of tumultuous years that rachel jeantel has had, graduating high school is a great victory worthy of us celebrating. rachel was just an unassuming, typical teenage girl gabbing on the phone with a friend when she got dragged into one of the most controversial cases of this generation. besides suffering the trauma of losing a close friend in such a dramatic and unnecessary manner, jeantel was also forced to take the national stage and relive her worst moments where she could be ridiculed, manipulated, humiliated and grilled as if she were the criminal. despite being able to speak more languages than the condescending prosecutor questioning her, rachel would be portrayed as someone who was ignorant and angry. the reality is not only is she intelligent and funny, rachel jeantel is brave and loyal. we thank and applaud her for doing what she could to achieve justice for her friend, for stepping up to her civic duty despite her fears. congratulations, rachel! i'm sure you will go on to do great things.
zora ball is presumably a second grader who made history while she was in the first grade. full disclosure: i can't even fully explain what she did but i'll try. zora became the youngest person to develop a mobile video game app using BOOTSTRAP program normally used to teach teenagers algebra. she displayed her creation at the FATE BOOTSTRAP Expo last year. when asked to "prove her work," she shut down all non-believers by reconfiguring the application right then and there. besides her obvious intelligence, it was her dedication to her education that led her to this point. zora attends the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology and also participates in the after school program that meets on saturdays as well (even if it's during vacation). i can only imagine what she'll be doing by the time she hits middle school. great job, zora!!
learn to pronounce (and spell) the name quvenzhane wallis. it'll be worth it. why? because she is an actress who is excelling at this thing called show biz and all before her preteens. quvenzhane absolutely nailed her role as hush puppy in the critically acclaimed indie film, "beast of the southern wild.' her amazing performance garnered her many accolades and awards including the coveted oscar nomination. quvenzhane is, in fact, the youngest to earn such a prestigious honor. and speaking of oscars, lil miss wallis was a part of the "12 years a slave" ensemble that cleaned up at this year's academy awards. what's next for the pint size pioneer, you ask? just taking on the huge role of everybody's favorite orphan, annie in the much anticipated remake is all. you see, quvenzhane is just a big ol' bundle of preciousness, talent and dedication wrapped up in the cutest, smallest package. kudos to her.
