One Springfield teen spent a week training at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

Though Mazin Rahman wants to be a doctor, he recognized a leadership opportunity in the Huntsville, Ala.-based program. He drove south with his dad for the camp, which was held during the first week of March.

“It was just a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it gave me memories that will last a lifetime,” said Mazin, a junior at Glenwood High School in Chatham. “This is something that not many people get to have.”

Mazin’s father works for Honeywell, which ran and organized the Leadership Challenge Academy for children of its employees. Students ages 16 to 18 had the “unique opportunity to build and hone their leadership skills by tackling real-world challenges in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” according to Honeywell’s description of the conference.

Honeywell created the program in conjunction with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Participants learned about the American Space Program and talked about current issues within the science and technology fields. They performed a series of challenges and had to solve problems in various scenarios.

Students also saw behind-the-scenes artifacts, simulated astronaut training and got to see what it’s like to walk on the moon. In addition, the teens met with experts, including former astronaut Capt. Robert “Hoot” Gibson. To participate, Mazin wrote an essay and talked about his volunteering experience and academic success. While at the camp, he met hundreds of students.

“It was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of new friends from around the world,” Mazin said. 

It was about “learning how these people live and just seeing how they’re just like me,” he said. 

He most enjoyed a flight simulation activity when his team split into four groups. Some students worked in mission control, others practiced flying the ship from the cockpit, another group fixed the satellite and, when in the final group, students experienced life as scientists. The students had to take off, fix the satellite and land safely.

In an aviation challenge, the students had to simulate flying fighter jets while trying to protect the president from terrorists. The participating students created a Facebook group and plan to keep in touch. “I’m really glad I took this opportunity,” Mazin said. 

Mazin wants to become a doctor. The camp emphasized leadership skills, teamwork, trusting in others and getting the job done, which he said will help in his future studies.

Taylour Jones works to inspire and encourage people who are ostracized by their peers.

“What most excites me is the spirit Taylour shows, not just outwardly but inwardly,” said Sandra Douglas, who’s known the Lanphier High School student since Taylour was born.

“Students are often taunted because of their physical and natural appearances … (Taylour) is there to encourage them and lend them a helping hand,” Douglas said. “She will walk with them and hold their hands until they have found strength.”

Douglas nominated Taylour for the Top Teen award, which recognizes central Illinois teens who make a difference in their communities. It is given by The Voice section of The State Journal-Register.

Taylour is a lifetime member of the Greater All Nations Tabernacle Church of God in Christ. She’s encouraged other teens to join and participate in fellowship, Douglas said.

“They are encouraged by her outpouring of generosity,” she said.

Taylour choreographs a youth pom squad for children ages 12 to 15 at the church. She drives some of the students to practice so they can participate. In addition, she made T-shirts for the children. She’s trying to expand the program to meet year-round with more frequent activities.

Taylour’s also a member of the youth choir.

“She is a doer of God’s words,” Douglas said. “She is an entrepreneur in her own right. She makes the best butter cake you have ever tasted. She is always willing to donate butter cake to church fundraisers.”

The 17-year-old also sells her butter cakes. She started a business, taking orders with a special form created by her mom.

Through an explorer program at Memorial Medical Center, Taylour developed a passion for speech pathology.

She works at Fairview Elementary School every day after school as part of a service learning program. Taylour works in a fifth grade classroom three days per week. She spends the other two days assisting a speech therapist working with children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

“I like working with the kids the most,” Taylour said about her work in the classroom.

While at Memorial, she saw employees working with a recovering stroke patient. This triggered her desire to help in the same way, though she doesn’t yet know whether she’d prefer to work with children or adults.

“I like watching people progress,” Taylour said.

Taylour built a bridge for the Junior Engineering Technical Society annual contest. For spirit club, she teaches cheers to freshman and sophomore students for Lanphier games.

Taylour’s also a member of the National Honor Society. And, she plays soccer at Lanphier.

In addition, Taylour said she loves to draw and received a national award for a self-portrait.
After she leaves Lanphier, the teen plans to attend Lincoln Land Community College and then Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to study speech pathology.

But, before then, she’ll be in an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority “Fashionetta 2014: A Pink Carpet Affair” cotillion on Saturday at the downtown Hilton Hotel. Young women in the program participate in educational, cultural, and social events and community service projects. Taylour is one of this year’s debutantes and has to memorize three dances — one by herself, one with her escort and one with her father.

“I think it will be a good experience,” she said.

Like most teens, Gabby Morgan has to balance schoolwork with extracurricular activities.

But, she also has to fit work in. The Rochester senior runs her own business.

She started taking pictures in eighth grade, soon after landed an internship with a wedding photographer and then launched her own brand, turning her passion into a business — Gabby Morgan Photography, established in 2011. She also works with C.M. Forever Photography, a Petersburg business owned by Coltin Cunningham and Megan Hayward Cunningham.

“I just fell in love with the job,” said Gabby, who considers herself a Nikon girl.

Gabby takes portraits for about 20 area seniors every year and shoots weddings, engagements, maternity photos and family images.

“Gabby is an amazing photographer. The proof is in the extraordinary pictures that she captures,” said a client, Chloe Butcher, a Rochester High senior and friend of Gabby's. “My favorite thing about her photos is that she is able to capture moments, not just normal pictures. She is also very good at integrating some of her own ideas with the ideas of the client. There is a lot of variety in the pictures that she takes.”

Learning to run a business
Gabby's in charge of everything with Gabby Morgan Photography. She doesn't just take and edit photos. The teenager also manages the company's finances, files taxes and schedules her sessions.

Facebook has been essential in helping Gabby grow her client base. When she posts photos from sessions, friends of friends want to work with her.

“It's a great little marketing tool,” said Gabby, who will attend Illinois State University in Bloomington to study business administration.

When Gabby works with high school seniors, she picks backgrounds that fit each person. Some teens choose to shoot 
group shots with their friends.

“That's always really fun for them,” Gabby said.

Part of the job is being social. Gabby works to make sessions lighthearted and fun. That leads to better photos, Gabby said. If people loosen up they look more comfortable in their pictures.

“Even if you had never met Gabby before, she makes the experience very fun, comfortable and relaxed,” Chloe said.

Between eighth grade and her sophomore year in high school, Gabby helped shoot around 10 weddings. Then, her aunt got married in Myrtle Beach and she took the photos. From there, close family friends wanted to work with the teen and now former Rochester High students are reaching out.

Creativity is a big part of the business. It's important to mix up locations so each picture looks different, she said.

It wasn't easy fitting her job in with school and volleyball but Gabby said she's managed because she's organized.

“I was able to just figure it out,” Gabby said. “I make lists upon lists.”

For each shoot, Gabby keeps a chart to fill in details and she does it immediately.

When she first started she lost a few SIM cards and so she learned to be much more prepared. She makes charts, organizes and plans as much as possible and always arrives to shoots early in case there's confusion.

Sacred Heart-Griffin High School is being recognized for its efforts to help an opponent.

On Nov. 17, a deadly tornado devastated the town of Washington. Less than a week later, Washington High School and SHG played a Class 5A playoff semifinal. More than 15 Washington football players lost their homes or were displaced. About eight “lost everything,” coach Darrell Crouch said. 

But the team wanted to play. 

“We felt it was important to our kids and town,” Crouch said. “Some of our seniors had worked so hard and sacrificed so much for our program. We had some great seniors that had earned the right to play the game. They never thought about not playing.”

While SHG won the game en route to a state championship, the school’s players, parents and alumni came together to help their ailing rivals. The SHG community sent water and organized charter buses for Washington fans, as many had vehicles that were destroyed or inaccessible. The Springfield school gave more than $75,000 to Washington, and provided a pregame snack and postgame dinner for the team and its families. Schools from throughout central Illinois, restaurants, churches and individuals also helped raise money, donated food and offered their time to assist in the cleanup.

Because of the outreach, the Illinois High School Association has nominated Sacred Heart-Griffin for the National Federation of State High School Associations Spirit of Sport Award. In the previous five years, the association nominated individual athletes and adults. But this year, IHSA officials decided to honor the Sacred Heart-Griffin community. A Midwest section winner and national winner will be named. SHG’s efforts to help Washington, a town of 15,000, “touched on every element that we want,” said Matt Troha, assistant executive director for the IHSA. “This is a great nominee.”

It’s a great honor, SHG football coach and athletic director Ken Leonard said of the nomination.

“We just tried to do what we should be doing as a Christian community,” Leonard said. “It was a great life lesson.”Leonard has family in Washington, and he has known Crouch since the early 1980s.

“It was just a terrible, tragic thing,” he said “(But) the Lord put us in an opportunity to do something, and our parents and our football team really stepped up.

“We really gained a lot of friends that week, especially the Washington people.”

After learning of the tornado’s destruction, Leonard hosted a team meeting with Bob Brenneisen, an SHG assistant principal and assistant coach. They asked football families to help the team help Washington. Anne Dondanville and Michele Reavy, two freshman football moms, were instrumental in organizing the volunteers. 

“It was a huge group effort,” Reavy said. “So many people came forward and helped do everything.”

That didn’t surprise Dondanville, who said it’s incredible how quickly people came together to organize the assistance. 

“Sports are more than just sports. People do the right thing,” she said. “That’s hopeful, especially in the face of a hopeless situation.”

Crouch said he wasn’t surprised that Sacred Heart-Griffin reached out. But he was “surprised by the level of their kindness.” 

“We can never thank SHG students, administration, coaches and athletes enough, as well as the Springfield community,” the Washington coach said. “As much as we hate to lose, it was good to see them go on and win the state championship. Our town was really pulling for them.”

Life hasn’t slowed down for figure skater Gracie Gold.

Since twirling onto the world stage at this year’s Winter Olympics, the 18-year-old hasn’t leapt off.

Illinoisans will have a chance to see the former Chatham Glenwood High School student, whose father, Carl Gold, works at Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville, skate again when the Stars on Ice tour stops in the Chicago area May 3 at the Allstate Arena. The tour travels the country, and Olympic gold medal-winning ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White are on board, as is fellow U.S. skater Ashley Wagner.

After winning the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Gracie joined Team USA in Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Games. Gracie and fellow American skaters received bronze medals in a new team competition.

The former Springfield Figure Skating Club member performed a stellar long program en route to the medal podium. During the individual competition, she placed fourth, sparking chatter that she’d be a 2018 Olympic contender.

In an interview with The State Journal-Register last week, Gracie acknowledged she’s always thinking about the future — including four years from now.

“There’s always a bigger picture when it comes to skating,” Gracie said.

Weeks after the Olympics, Gracie finished fifth at the World Figure Skating Championships in Japan.

She then moved full speed from the world championships to the Stars on Ice tour.

The past few months have been overwhelming, Gracie said. But her hard work and the opportunity afforded to her puts things into perspective, she said.

“It’s been a blessing,” she added.

It’s in Springfield and the Chicago area that Gracie cemented her triple jumps and much of her technical training.

Though people told her she had vast potential, it was “hard to take seriously because there are a lot of young kids” that look like they have that talent, she said.

But in 2010, at age 14, Gracie changed her tune.

“Watching (the Vancouver Olympics) kind of changed my mindset to make the 2014 Olympics a real goal,” she said.

Though she hasn’t had a chance to visit Springfield or Chatham the last few months, she hopes to soon.

“It’s a very welcoming community,” Gracie said of her Midwestern roots, citing people who are warm and friendly, offering personal greetings and replies.

“It’s about the people,” she said.

Springfield Figure Skating Club members keep tabs on Gracie with awe. Many of the local skaters watched her Olympic performances together.

“It’s really fun to go back now and then and see how the club has grown and changed,” Gracie said.

As her skating career has blossomed, she’s watched younger children grow as both skaters and people.

While Gracie’s focused on the current U.S. tour and a smaller Japanese star tour, she is thinking about next year’s competition season. She’s even got 2018 in her sights. Those Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Her twin sister, Carly Gold, also will be skating next season.

“Being able to go on the journey with someone that you really care about … it’s been the best,” Gracie said of having a supportive sister.

Gracie’s advice for young skaters and their families is to keep things fun. To rise through the skating ranks, athletes have to get up early, stay late and spend hours upon hours perfecting skills and routines. If it’s not fun, a skater won’t want to do it.

“Competitions are fun,” Gracie said. “It’s been a great couple of months.”

Young skaters should set realistic goals while “knowing that anything can happen,” she said. “Anything is possible.”

In her 90s, Alma Uphoff Liebman won't go to bed until she's clocked at least three miles on her pedometer.

She normally walks more throughout the day, sometimes taking to the trails near her home. When the weather is not suited to outdoor walking, Liebman zips throughout her house.

But it's hatha yoga that's Liebman's true exercise love. She received a book, “Lilias Yoga and You,” from a friend in 1973. She's been using it ever since.

Throughout central Illinois, people are either finding or maintaining physical activity after retiring. While Liebman prefers yoga and walking, others step into dance-based gym classes or CrossFit programs. Regardless of the type of exercise, the participants say their connections with other exercisers keep them motivated.

Liebman credits her active lifestyle with keeping her sharp and physically able to tour the world with her family. She's joining them on another trip to Ireland this June. She also plays table tennis weekly.

Born in 1921, Liebman grew up active, helping on her family farm. She taught physical education and health at Springfield High School. One of her daughters and two of her granddaughters now teach those same subjects in central Illinois. Liebman talked with her granddaughter's classes about yoga.

She also uses three-pound weights three times per week. She takes those weights when she travels.

A morning person, Liebman does her exercises in front of a full-length window in her home, overlooking a beautiful backdrop. While performing yoga, she says her Methodist prayers along with yogic-based sayings.

“I would never not do yoga,” she said. Liebman appreciates the mentality of yoga: Do the best your body can do.

But, her biggest piece of advice for others is simply to get moving.

Leading the way
Seventy-year-old Mike Suhadolnik is leading the charge to keep seniors healthy. The Springfield resident teaches at CrossFit Instinct, a gym specializing in the strength and conditioning program that uses a mix of aerobic exercise, body weight exercises and weight lifting.

Mike teaches classes and has worked with doctors to create a weight loss program.

When he trains seniors, he focuses on hip mobility, balance and preventing shoulder problems.

With a shirt that reads “Sugar Free,” he spends one Wednesday afternoon leading two married couples through stretching, dynamic movements and weight training. All four say they've seen a difference in their health since finding Suhadolnik.

Suhadolnik started teaching 2 1/2 years ago. Before that, he'd been a power lifter, where the goal is to lift as much weight as possible. A doctor wanted him to lose body fat and in the process, Suhadolnik designed his program, which combines exercise, nutrition and hydration — lots of water.

The goal is for students to become lean, but also to be functional, be able to lift things and be able to get off the ground.

“They like to see people lead by example. It's just like everything else,” Suhadolnik said.

He encourages his students to walk or bike on Sundays and to be in the CrossFit gym six days per week.

“We force them to be able to deal with reality,” he said. “When something happens to you in life, you don't have a machine to guide you. They're going to live better.”

That's what happened to John Barber. The 75-year-old Springfield man started working out with Suhadolnik more than a year ago.

Barber is diabetic, and five years ago received treatment for Stage 4 melanoma, an advanced form. Since he started CrossFit, he's become stronger and healthier overall. He's reduced his insulin use and lost weight. He also convinced his wife, Irene Barber, to join the class.

“It makes you feel good when you're done,” Irene said. “You have to keep moving.”

Neither of the Barbers worked out before joining CrossFit. They've also focused on eating healthier.

“He really has become a gym rat,” Irene said about her husband.

Home on the trails
Pete Gudmundson, 68, and other bike riders participate in a ride for “retired geezers or those hoping to become geezers” through the Springfield Bicycle Club.

This winter, they've been stalled a bit, but they ride about 30 miles a day.

Gudmundson, of Springfield, rode quite a bit before retiring, but now he can take late morning rides. He enjoys the exercise and the social aspect of the club. Some of the bikers have been riding together for more than 10 years.

The group bikes to Chatham, or uses the Lost Bridge Trail, or heads west to New Berlin or north to Salisbury. They stop throughout the rides to chat, often at the Apple Barn in Chatham.

Gudmundson suffered a herniated disk around 1995 and has found biking helps him stretch out.

“It actually helps the back out,” he said.

Mixing it up
Marlene Zimmerman, 77, has been active throughout her life.

“I feel so much better. I just really believe that you have to keep active to be active,” Zimmerman said. “After I sit for a while, I think, ‘This isn't good.'”

She bowls, walks, bikes, golfs and takes Zumba and Pilates classes at FitClub. But it's line dancing that she really loves.

“It looks easy but really you have to be able to move your feet a little bit or you can't do it,” said Zimmerman, a retired teacher.

The Silver Steppers line dancers practice Thursday mornings and do demonstrations two days per week at senior centers, and learn new routines each month. Zimmerman joined eight years ago.

Zimmerman frequently works out with her daughter, Penny Zimmerman-Wills.

“She and I are motivators for each other,” Marlene Zimmerman said.

The social aspect is a big component for Zimmerman. It's one of the reasons she loves bowling. She also loves the challenge. She once got six strikes in a row.

“I'm still trying to do that again,” she said.

Dancing into shape
Suzi Boyd started exercising when she was 45.

“Having worked full-time for many, many years, I found that going to Washington Park … would relieve some of the stress,” said Boyd, who's now 73.

Walking led to jogging, which led to racing, including a half marathon and 10-kilometer distances.

More than two years ago Boyd discovered Zumba. She now does the dance program four days per week at the YMCA, shedding 15 pounds. She walks or bikes the Sangamon Valley Trail on her days off.

“I just thought it would be fun,” Boyd said about Zumba. “I love to dance to music.”

A May 2013 bicycle-vehicle collision left Boyd with a fractured fibula. She was in her Zumba class within five weeks. 
While at home, she'd move throughout the house and get her arms exercised.

Boyd wants to be able to keep moving. If she hasn't been able to exercise on a given day, she can tell a difference in her mood.

The group fitness classes have introduced the Springfield resident to new friends and allowed her to connect with old ones.

She danced with her a granddaughter, Alyssa Boyd, during an Athens High School basketball game. Alyssa's on the pompon squad and invited her grandma to perform with them.

They “had a blast,” Suzi Boyd said.

Teenagers need to cut their sodium intake.

Researchers recently linked high-salt diets with a high level of body fat — regardless of how much food the teens ate, according to Reuters news service.Children are consuming as much sodium as adults, around 3,300-3,400 milligrams per day, Dr. Haidong Zhu told Reuters Health. Zhu led the study at Georgia Regents University in Augusta.

Ninety percent of children exceed the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 1,500 milligrams or less of sodium each day.

Humans only need a small amount of sodium, between 180 and 500 milligrams per day.

While the Institute of Medicine recommends 1,500 milligrams per day, people are encouraged to eat less than 2,300 milligrams per day.“The information that they suggested was pretty shocking,” said Christina Rollins, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with Memorial Medical Center. Rollins is spokesperson for the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “We’re eating a lot of salt in our diet.”

Salt is a preservative, so manufacturing companies add it to give food products a longer shelf life. That’s why you’ll find it in a lot of fast food.In addition, salt enhances natural flavors.

Teens live busy lives. They’re short on time and there are fast food restaurants right by high schools — making a quick meal an easy choice for people eating on the go.

That’s one reason teens are eating so much salt, Rollins said.

The problem
High sodium intake leads to high blood pressure, putting people at greater risk for heart disease and strokes. Eating too much salt is detrimental to the cardiovascular system.

Meanwhile, teens are developing their eating patterns and taste preferences.

“They’re setting themselves up for failure when they reach adulthood,” Rollins said.

The trouble is teens don’t always see into the future.

“When we’re talking about preventative measures, it can be hard to make a priority,” Rollins said.

Cutting salt
Families should plan ahead. Make regular trips to the grocery store because home-cooked food usually has less sodium than restaurant and fast food versions.

Cook ahead of time. Teens can help their parents prepare meals each weekend to eat throughout the week. Batch cooking is a great option for busy families. Cook a large quantity of foods at one time. For example, put raw chicken in a Crock pot and slow-cook it overnight. Use it throughout the week for chicken tacos, chicken salad and chicken sandwiches, Rollins said.

Also, avoid the salt shaker. People who stop adding salt see their sodium intake drop dramatically, Rollins said.

It will take awhile for your taste buds to adjust. Food might not taste as good for a few months.

“Salt is very addictive,” Rollins said. “That gets better over time.”

To help with taste, choose foods that are in season. Look for fresh fruits and vegetables. Also consider frozen fruits and vegetables. These options are still very healthy though people are skeptical, Rollins said.

Try to avoid processed meats. Bacon and ham are often cured — meaning salt has been added. Chicken, turkey and roast beef are generally better options.

Springfield-born philanthropist Julius Rosenwald was a man ahead of his time. 

Rosenwald helped turn Sears into a world-class company and establish the Museum of Science and Industry, for which he served as president. But in the southern United States, he is remembered for his efforts to advance African-American education when many people ignored the plight of black residents. 

At age 17, Rosenwald, the child of German immigrants, left central Illinois for New York City to apprentice with his uncles. He ultimately returned to his Illinois roots, moving to Chicago, and in 1895 became a partner in — and later president of — Sears, Roebuck & Co.

“He grew as a businessman,” said Peter M. Ascoli, Rosenwald’s grandson and biographer. “Richard Sears was not a businessman. He was a marketer. That was his forte.”

Rosenwald focused on customer service and honesty, designing a system for efficient merchandise return and creating a satisfaction guaranteed or money back commitment.

“People really trusted Sears. (Rosenwald) really developed a whole different method of running the company,” Ascoli said. Rosenwald also tested every product in the Sears catalog, which in those days included medicine, to make sure the descriptions were honest.

After World War I, he gave $21 million to rescue Sears from financial calamity.

Rosenwald found philanthropy through his rabbi, Emil Hirsch. But it was two books, including Booker T. Washington’s autobiography, “Up from Slavery” that “sort of opened his eyes to the condition of African-Americans,” Ascoli said.

“The horrors that are due to race prejudice come home to the Jew more forcefully than to others of the white race, on account of the centuries of persecution which they have suffered and still suffered,” Rosenwald wrote.

With Washington, Rosenwald opened more than 5,300 schools throughout the South. At one point, at least one-third of southern black children were in a Rosenwald school building, said Tracy Hayes, a National Trust for Historic Preservation field officer based in Charleston, S.C.

“Education’s the key to moving ahead,” she added. “There was a whole segment of the southern population that was not receiving anything close to an equal education.”

About 75 percent of Rosenwald buildings were lost with integration. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a groundswell of interest in preserving the remaining schools, Hayes said. “These buildings should be saved and they should be used. Their stories should be told,” she added.

In 2002, the National Trust added the schools to a list of the 11 most endangered sites. The goal is to save 100 schools and give smaller groups tools to save more, Hayes said.After he funded what’s now named the Museum of Science and Industry, Rosenwald fought to have his name removed from the title.

“He thought it should be the people’s museum,” Ascoli said.

Rosenwald organized his foundation to go out of existence within 25 years of his death.“He believed that each generation should give away money to the causes that it believes in,” Ascoli said.

SEMINOLE — Jamal Waked spoke no English when he arrived in Florida as a 4-year-old.

Now 18, the St. Petersburg High student has adapted so well that he was one of four Florida students recognized as a Horatio Alger National Scholar for his accomplishments in the face of adversity and his commitment to bettering the community. The $21,000 need-based scholarship will be given to him throughout four years.

Waked moved from Panama as a young child, and with the guidance and care of his stepfather, he has persevered. He traveled with his mother and siblings for a chance at a better life and a more solid financial position in the United States. Though he faced family struggles that left him in the care of his stepfather, he worked for a fresh start.

"He picked up English within a year," his stepfather, Benjamin Martin, said. "Ever since then, there's no looking back."

A graduating senior, the Seminole resident is in the International Baccalaureate program. To get to school as an underclassman, he woke by 5 a.m. to catch the bus making the 17-mile trek.

At the end of the day, because of extracurricular activities, Waked often navigated public transportation to make the trip home.

"I wanted to make my own name. I wanted to make my own life," Waked said. "I just always had the mindset. 'I'll show them. I'll be successful.' "

Waked's "extremely bright," his chemistry teacher, Laura Domanski said. He also looked at the big picture during high school and crafted a plan to achieve his goals.

"The scholarship is a perfect fit for him and I know he will make the very most of the opportunities it presents and will go on to be very successful," Domanski said.

Waked knows what he wants and will do what it takes to achieve his goals, said La'Tina Johnson, the teen's guidance counselor.

"Despite the challenges and adjustments he has had to face throughout his young life, Jamal never allowed himself to be negatively affected,'' Johnson said. "In fact, he turned these into positives by giving him the motivation to put 100 percent into everything he does."

He scored a 33 (out of 36) on the ACT and a 2,200 (out of 2,400) on the SAT. The ACT score landed Waked in the 99th percentile of test takers. A math whiz, Waked plans to attend the University of Florida to study astrophysics or engineering. He's been accepted into an honors program. Through a Horatio Alger Association connection, he has received free housing, as well.

The scholarship winners met in the nation's Capitol for three days last month. They participated in roundtable discussions with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, actor Tom Selleck, media personality Lou Dobbs and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

"It was just overwhelming and amazing. I couldn't believe it as it was happening," Waked said about the trip. "It was pretty awesome to see what this nation's built upon."

He was particularly motivated by Thomas, who lived with his grandparents for much of his youth. The discussion left Waked, who lives with his stepfather, emotional — and inspired. "He was very insightful," Waked said. "If he could do it, I could do it."

Waked felt moved to the point of calling his stepfather to thank him for his love and support. He realized how instrumental the relationship proved to be after rocky days.

It "really affected him emotionally and got to him more than any other speaker," Martin said.

From Martin's view, his stepson has excelled in everything he pursued.

"It makes me emotional," Martin added. "It's like living through him."

But it's the teen's heart that most encourages the man who raised him.

"He's always willing to help anybody," Martin said.

Waked is a member of the service organization Key Club, an affiliated dance team, National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. He's helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity. He tutors his classmates and serves on the Dance Marathon board. The board organized a 12-hour dance-a-thon, raising more than $7,000 for All Children's Hospital.

"I relate to the people in the community who need the help because I was in that situation myself," he said.

He isn't sure yet what he wants to do after college. He does know he wants to leave things better than he found them.

"I want to make a difference in the world somehow," Waked said.