Meet Tolby Nordenstrom

Whiz Kid's name: Tolby Nordenstrom

Whiz Kid's age: 17

Whiz Kid's school: Clover Park High School

Whiz Kid's accomplishment: Tolby, a senior, is one of 63 students in Washington state to be awarded a 2012 Act Six scholarship. This year, 1,000 applicants competed for the full-tuition, full-need scholarship. Winners were chosen for their leadership, academic potential and commitment to making a difference in their communities.

Tolby plans to use her scholarship to attend Trinity Lutheran College, where she will study communications and rhetoric. Ultimately, she would like to work for GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) or the Current TV network.

Winning the Act Six Scholarship came as a surprise to Tolby, who said she figured the odds were against her.

“Now I can utilize the tools necessary to contribute to the prospective vision of my generation,” she said.

Her classmate, , also is an Act Six recipient.

Tolby said she chose Trinity Lutheran because of the intimate community the Everett school provides.

“They don’t just say that they value diversity, they show it,” she said.

She also was impressed with what she calls a lack of “typical superficial student-to-professor relationships,” adding that the faculty genuinely wants students to succeed.

Tolby is a member of Clover Park’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Journalism Club and Media Design Club. She hopes to restart the school’s news station, CPTV, with some classmates.

Whiz Kid's key to awesomeness: Tolby’s number one piece of advice is just to be yourself. She quotes the late musician Kurt Cobain as saying, “I’d rather be hated for who I am than love for who I am not.”

Tolby said that she loves knowing this is her final year of high school.

But her favorite thing about being a senior can be summed up in one word.

“Status,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not going to lie.”