Whiz Kid: Kehley Coleman

Whiz Kid: Kehley Coleman, 10. Kehley is in fifth grade at Menlo Park Academy in Cleveland, and she attends in Avon.

Accomplishment: Kehley won first place in her age group in the short story sub-genre and second place in her age group overall for her story, “The Journey to Space,” at the International Academy of Astronautics Humans in Space Symposium in mid-April at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Key to Awesomeness: Kehley's school assignment turned her into an international science fiction winner. Although it was optional to submit the story for the competition, Kehley decided to go for it.

Her story, “The Journey to Space,” is about a woman who felt homesick when she went into space. The following sentence from Kehley's story was published on the symposium's Web site: “It was a curious place, space. It was the biggest thing you could get, but without my family and friends, it seemed smaller than my bedroom.”

Kehley wants to become a writer someday and sharpens her skills in her English classes.

“I am almost finished writing my Young Author's story. Last year I wrote this one called 'Captain Hamburger,' and now I can go back and laugh at it. It amazes me how much better I got. If you give me a good (fictional) idea, I can turn it into a good story.”