Whiz Kid: Cory Maks Exhibits 'Dedication Beyond his Age'

If you happened to visit the YMCA of Central Maryland at around 5:30 a.m. on a Monday, you might find Cory Maks preparing for the day, setting up sign-in sheets for youth camps.

"He gets here earlier than I do," said Carol Whittington, director of School-Aged Child Care who has worked at the Y for more than a decade.

After that, Maks will spend his day performing administrative duties for the YMCA. He compiles weekly newsletters for parents of children in the camps, files paperwork on hundreds of kids, addresses complaints from parents and ensures that all payments have been made. And he's only a junior in high school.

"[And] I still try to poke my head out and ask kids their three favorite and least favorite things, just to generate some conversation," Maks said.

Communicating with the camp children is what Maks, 16, said he misses most from his time in the "Leader-in-training" program, which he participated in for nearly four years before trainsitioning to his position. Maks described an LIT as a "junior counselor." His duties included assisting the other members of the staff with crafts, developing "themes" for the different weeks and overall fostering a welcoming environment for the children of the Y.

"Most of the LITs are high school students trying to get service learning hours," said Whittington, whom Karen Farely, director of Membership and Program Development, dubbed Mak's mentor. "[Cory] has shown dedication and character, especially for a young person, by sticking with it for so long."

Maks said he intends to return in summers even after he enrolls in college, even though his college career has already started at American University in Washington, D.C.

"I visited the campus for the National Student Leadership Conference," he said. "And I took a class there, through American."

Maks said he also takes Advanced Placement courses and a course at Carroll Community College.

"I'm very proud of him," Whittington said. "I love seeing these kids mature into such wonderful adults."