Schools
Whiz Kid: Jibril Odom, Aspiring Diplomat
Every week Patch profiles a really cool kid. Send your nominations to alanskontra@hotmail.com
Whiz Kids is a weekly feature in which Patch profiles an outstanding youngster or youth group. This week's Whiz Kid is Jibril Odom, who is awesome because he's interested in expanding his horizons.
Whiz Kid: Jibril Odom
Age: 19
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School: Hoboken High School, senior
Graduating Hoboken High School senior Jibril Odom is going places. He'll attend Centenary College in Hackettstown, N.J., in the fall where he'll major in global studies, and then he hopes to travel the world, perhaps as a diplomat.
Find out what's happening in Hobokenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“I love learning about different countries, anything about other cultures,” he says.
He's been preparing for his goal by concentrating on his history and language arts classes at Hoboken High. He loves to write. “Anything,” he says. “Give me any assignment and I'll write it.”
He's also spent time serving with Teen Pep, a group of Hoboken High students who mentor 8th and 9th graders about how to withstand negative peer pressure.
“It's basically social education. We perform skits and hold workshops with the younger students,” he says.
Jibril has also participated in the school's very successful theater program. He's been in three plays, including Guys & Dolls, Aida and Hairspray, but he's really been acting his whole life.
“I love improvising and acting,” he says. “I used to act out television shows when I was a kid.”
Yet Jibril's most favorite activity is soccer. He's played on Hoboken traveling teams and made the high school varsity squad as a freshman.
“I started when I was 5 and ever since then I've just loved it,” he says.
Jibril will continue to play on an organized team for Centenary College. Though he'll spend some time during his last summer home hanging out with friends, he's going to practice hard to prepare for the upcoming season.
“If I'm not home I'm on the field,” he says.
Do you know a Whiz Kid, or even a whole group of them? Send any and all nominations to alanskontra@hotmail.com, and check back every Wednesday afternoon to read about some outstanding youngsters in your community.
