Whiz Kid of the Week: Michelle Zhu

In our new weekly column Whiz Kids, Arcadia Patch singles out younger Arcadians who are amazing in some way.

We are asking for your nominations for Whiz Kids, so please suggest a special Arcadia kid, teen or youth group in the comment box below! Read more about nominations.

This week's Whiz Kid is Michelle Zhu, an senior who does it all. Seriously, everything.

• Whiz Kid's Name, Age: Michelle Zhu, 17-years-old
• Whiz Kid's School/Church/Community Center: Arcadia High School
• Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: She's a senior officer on the AHS Speech and Debate Team; a captain of the AHS Tennis Team; co-president of the ; a member of the ; the president of the National Honors Society; a soprano in the Church of the Good Shepherd Youth Choir and president of her church's Youth Group.
  
• Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: Said Zhu: "I am mainly self-motivated. I don't join anything I don't love, and I always put 100% of myself in everything I do. Volunteer-wise, I help because I love the community, and I am rewarded just by bringing smiles to the faces of others."

Zhu has applied to several Ivy League universities but she calls Princeton her "dream school."

One thing's for sure: "I'm very relieved to know that I will definitely be going to college," Zhu said. She's already been accepted to University of Southern California and University of California-Irvine.

And like most kids, she hasn't settled on a career path.

"My mathematical, logical side wants me to get into finance - perhaps become a financial analyst, but my more altruistic side wants to get into education," Zhu said. "I hope to be a teacher at least at some point in my life."