Meet Joshua Mamerto

Whiz Kid's name: Joshua Mamerto

Whiz Kid's age: 14

Whiz Kid's school: Lochburn Middle School

Whiz Kid's accomplishment: Joshua came to Lochburn’s English Language Learners (ELL) program as a sixth-grader and discovered a talent for writing even though he was still learning English. During that school year, the Phillipines native suffered inflammation of the spinal cord and was left paralyzed, but has triumphed repeatedly in the face of adversity. After a long, arduous trial of both body and soul, Joshua is beginning to walk again. Although he finished middle school through an online program, Joshua was able to take part in Lochburn’s eighth-grade Honors Reception, where he received a standing ovation from the audience.

Whiz Kid's key to awesomeness: As a 12-year-old student in a wheelchair, Joshua still managed to come to school and maintain his optimism, said ELL teacher Shelley Heinzman, his teacher for three years. The other students marveled at his courage, she said. At Lochburn, he was known as an intuitive thinker, and in response to an essay question on Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting and Don McLean’s song “Vincent,” wrote, “I think Vincent wanted to show us how beautiful the world is,” Heinzman recalled. Joshua, who has already written his autobiography, “Life is So Beautiful and Full of Challenge,” has an interest in photography and is considering it as a career. Heinzman said she is really going to miss Joshua as he heads off to high school, calling him “a true hero to both his teachers and fellow students.”

Learn how to nominate a whiz kid by clicking .