write on {angela content}

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.  

master chef {adaiah}

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 {full of grace}

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.  

belle of the ballet {michaela deprince}

michaela deprince is the complete embodiment of a survivor.  thanks to a country in the midst of civil war, both of her parents were killed when she was very young in sierre leone.  michaela was then ostracized at the orphanage where she ended up because of a skin disease (vitiligo) that she had no control over but made her look different.  but in the orphanage is also where michaela (known then as mabinty) would find inspiration.  there was a picture of a ballerina on the cover of a magazine she came across.  michaela would become enamored with this the tear out, promising herself that if she ever got out of the situation she was in, this was what her life should look like.  as luck would have it, she would be adopted by a great family in america who encouraged her to pursue her dreams of dancing.  even in america, this wouldn't be easy. a dark skinned black girl dancing ballet was not the norm and michaela would face plenty of discrimination and ridicule.  thankfully, michaela deprince would not let the naysayers get in her way.  she would go on to become a very successful ballerina despite the obstacles.  she is now a member of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company and is slated to join the main company next year! michaela even lived out her dream of playing the lead in the classic Swan Lake production at Lincoln Center.  and did i mention that she is only 19?!  what we love most about deprince is her need to help others.  she recognizes and relishes her position as a role model. 

"Because I’ve been through so much, I know now that I can

 make it and I can help other kids who have been in really 

bad situations realize that they can make it too.” 

shine bright like a diamond {diamond shakoor}

diamond shakoor is known as 'the chess prodigy.'  inspired by her well educated dad who teaches chess to older kids, diamond quickly moved from novice status to beating her father. she has now participated in over 250 tournaments and took first place in the girls primary Susan Polgar National Chess Championship. as of 2013, she was ranked in the 71 percentile nationwide and in the 90th percentile for female chess players.  with her dad (who has had sole custody of diamond since she was a year old) by her side, diamond is able to set and reach her goals in chess while maintaining good grades and other hobbies like dancing and singing, too.  she practices chess for an hour and a half each day.  

 "My dad gives me a lot of advice – ‘grind now, shine later;’ or ‘win with dignity, lose with grace,’ which is by Susan Polgar.” source stlpublicradio.org

when she grows up, diamond hopes to follow in her father's footsteps and teach chess.  she is even considering opening up her own school.  whatever her future, diamond is likely to be a success thanks to her discipline,
intelligence and positive attitude.

"... I inspire myself because like I said, I’m a role model and not a follower..."  

we agree, diamond!

princess of pastry {taylor moxey}

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.  

the young & courageous {rachel jeantel}

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.  

triple threat {keke palmer}

keke palmer, 20, has already proven to be the perfect trifecta.  she's a great singer, movie/television actress and philanthropist.  it was very clear at a young age that keke was destined for the entertainment business.  after landing a role in the hit movie "Barbershop 2: Back In Business" with the likes of Ice Cube, Queen Latifah and Cedric the Entertainer, the young talent and her family moved to cali to pursue her passions.  keke soon landed the title role in 'akeelah and the bee' opposite heavyweights laurence fishbourne and angela bassett.  this was a rare role as it celebrated a spelling bee rather than the usual sports competition.  she also scored the title role in the nickelodeon sitcom, 'true jackson, vp' where palmer plays a fifteen year old who is vice president of a fashion company while still dealing with your average adolescent dilemmas.  
as for her music career, keke was signed to interscope records in 2010.  she has put out music on few different soundtracks.  keke has also released mixtapes to satisfy her hungry fans.  
helping others in need is a big part of palmer's persona.  she has worked with the boys and girls club, ycwa and the saving our daughters organizations attacking the crucial issue of bullying among other things. most recently, this gifted young lady brilliantly played rozonda 'chili' thomas from the important music trio, tlc.  it is reported that keke will be the host of her own talk show, a position perfect for her vivacious personality.  this bet show would make her the youngest talk show host ever.  keke is clearly doing big things and we hope her success continues.

baby geek quad {zora ball}

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!!