Whiz Kid: Top Chef Jennifer Ponzoni

Whiz Kids is a weekly feature in which Patch profiles an outstanding youngster or youth group. This week's Whiz Kid is Jennifer Ponzoni, who is awesome because she's planning to learn how to feed a lot of people.

Whiz Kid: Jennifer Ponzoni

Age: 17

School: Hoboken High School, 12th Grade

Seventeen-year-old Hoboken High School senior Jennifer Ponzoni keeps busy with a diverse set of interests.

She's a star on the soccer field, playing as a forward. “It helps you keep in shape,” she said. “The team is like a family and we work really hard.”

She's also on the school bowling team that competes against other area schools, usually at a bowling alley in Union City. She said she likes the atmosphere. “We want to win, but we're also friendly with the other team,” said Ponzoni.

Her favorite subjects are math and chemistry. “I like numbers and trying to figure out things with them,” she said. She is a member of both the math and chemistry clubs.

Ponzoni is also a member of the Hype Club, which mentors younger students. “You just help kids focus more on their future,” she said. “Instead of getting into trouble, we talk about staying home, studying, and spending time with family.”

She is also the vice-president of the Class of 2012. Her duties include helping to plan class trips, the prom, and the purchase and distribution of the senior class rings. To pay for those projects, she organizes fundraisers like car washes and sells concessions at school sporting events.

Ponzoni has plans to attend culinary school after graduating from Hoboken High School. She's interested in the Culinary Institute of America in New York and Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, and she hopes to study abroad while in college. “Italy is my dream place,” she said.

She also has a dream job in mind. "I want to be a chef," she said, "in a really expensive restaurant."

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.