Ever Met a Tennis Star and Amateur Marine Biologist Who Has Already Done Two Years Worth of College Academics in High School?

Whiz Kid's Name/Age: Emily Cardinas, 17

Whiz Kid's School:

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Cardinas topped her math SAT with a total of 760 out of 800 (1990 out of 2400 points overall), while holding down a 4.2 weighted GPA and stocking up on advanced classes. In her four years at ERHS, only one of her classes wasn't an honors or Advanced Placement (AP) class. In fact, Cardinas has taken 12 AP classes so far, which amounts to about two years of college. A mainstay on the Varsity Tennis team, she and her doubles partner were ranked in the citywide top 16. A girl scout for the past 12 years, Cardinas received the Gold Award (the equivalent of the Boy Scouts' Eagle Award) for designing Activity Backpacks, which include fun games and work sheets, which scout troops can rent.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: Cardinas's secret for success is that she likes to challenge herself— academically, athletically and in the community. She won admission and a full scholarship to Tulane University in New Orleans as part of a "posse"—a group of kids from the same city applying to a college together, sponsored by the Posse Foundation.

Bonus Whiz Kid Info: In her free time, Cardinas volunteers at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro as part of the aquarium’s Sea Ranger program for environmentally conscious individuals. Although she wants to major in something "liberal-artsy," as she puts it, her second passion has always been marine biology, which is why she educates aquarium visitors as a junior docent and participates in research studies. Oh—and this is probably no surprise: She also likes to scuba-dive.