Whiz Kid: Showbiz Mogul Ariel Cruz

Whiz Kids is a weekly feature in which Patch profiles an outstanding youngster or youth group. This week's Whiz Kid is Ariel Cruz, who is awesome because she's planning on being a big showbiz star.

Whiz Kid: Ariel Cruz

Age: 16

School: Hoboken High School, 11th Grade

Sixteen year-old Hoboken High School junior Ariel Cruz does a bit of everything. She sings, acts, dances, writes, volunteers, designs costumes, debates politics and wants to be a business mogul.

Her favorite school subject is English. She's currently taking the advanced placement class. She enjoys reading and wants to be a writer herself.

“I have a great respect for writers, especially the classics,” she says.

As a kid she wrote stories but now she writes a lot of essays. She writes for the school newspaper and has also published articles in local online news websites.

Ariel says she realizes the value of being able to communicate effectively, even for a teenager.

“When you can put it on paper and have an adult understand you're much more credible than your reputation,” she says.

Ariel is a member of Hoboken High's award winning Harvard Model Congress debate team. Every year the school competes in a national conference in San Francisco.

She has always had an interest in current events. “I've always wanted to know what's going on, so I sought that information,” she says. “You need educated citizens and informed voters.”

In her spare time Ariel works as an intern at the Mile Square Theatre. She works in the office and also helps the company run its summer acting classes for kids.

Volunteering at the company is giving her a learning experience for her own pursuits. She sings, acts and dances in Hoboken High's popular theatre program.

"That's my passion over all else," she says. She also participates on the technical side, using her interest in fashion to design costumes for shows.

"I'm fascinated by how clothes can change people's perception of a character," she says.

After she graduates next year Ariel plans to attend NYU to study performing arts and business. She wants to merge those two interests into a successful entertainment career.

“I want to be more than an artist,” she says. “People like Sean Combs and Lady Gaga, they're business moguls. I'm interested in building a brand.”

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.