Whiz Kid of the Week: Catherine Mahoney

Name: Catherine Mahoney

School: Oakton High

Accomplishment: Nominated as a Presidential Scholar

Key to Awesomeness: In January, Catherine Mahoney, of Oakton, was named a candidate for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

"After I received the letter, I looked into it and explored the website, and thought, 'This is a real honor to even be considered for this because these are some pretty incredible kids,'" said Mahoney, an senior.

Candidates, who must be graduating high school seniors, are chosen based on SAT and ACT scores. Scholars will be named in May and will then make a trip to Washington, D.C. for a weekend of events, including a ceremony from the White House.

But this accolade is only the latest of many. She is a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship; an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction; and a member of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society and History Honor Society.

Mahoney has not only established herself in the classroom. She has also involved herself in various extracurricular activities. She recently joined Oakton Dance's varsity pom team in achieving 15th place at the National Dance Team Championship in Orlando. She plans to join the school's track and field team again this spring, and was previously captain of the freshman cheerleading team. Mahoney is also senior class president and is a part of the Student Advisory Council, which is an elected group of students who represent the school's interests to the county school board.

"I find that the more I sort of load onto my plate, the better I do in all of it," Mahoney said. "I have sort of this incapacity to sit still. I really have to be doing something all the time."

Mahoney already has a bit of an idea of what the next four years of her life will look like. Though she does not know which college she'll be attending just yet, she does know what she'll be studying: economics with a focus in development economics and international economic affairs.

Her potential major is a recent interest of hers, thanks to a field trip to the World Bank where she had an epiphany.

"I just found it so interesting. It's everything I like," she said. "It's history. It's a social science, but it's also mathematics. And it can be applied so readily, from macroeconomics to diplomacy and international relations and things like that that have interested me for a long time. I immediately thought, 'This is the thing for me.'"

Mahoney said she thinks she's been able to strike a balance to be successful with such a full plate, and her advice to others is to fill theirs with things they like.

"In this day and age, trying to get into college has become kind of an arms race, in all honesty, and I find that kids with Model U.N. and piano and all of these different things they don't enjoy, it wears them out and burns them out," Mahoney said. "Rather than having a large volume of activities, it's more important to immerse yourself in the ones you do choose and enjoy them as much as you can. Then you'll never feel drained."

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Know of a worthy Whiz Kid? Send us:

●    Nominator's Name
●    Nominator's E-Mail
●    Whiz Kid's Name
●    Whiz Kid's Age
●    Whiz Kid's School
●    Whiz Kid's Accomplishment
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