Coastside Whiz Kid: This Week's Outstanding Young Person

Name: Erin M. Ralston

Age: 15

Town: Half Moon Bay

Schools: "Los Niños preschool, El Granada Elementary school, Keys School (Palo Alto, private), Sequoia High School (Redwood City, public)."

Academic accomplishments: “G.A.T.E. student at El Granada Elementary school; given academic reward last spring for maintaining a 4.0 GPA (straight A’s in all honors classes) throughout freshman year.”

Sports/teams/championships: “I have been on varsity badminton during the spring as both a freshman and sophomore. Last year we were moved up to the Bay league. I also do Kuk Sool Won at the HMB dojo for 4 or 5 hours a week and am currently a brown belt. I received a silver and bronze medal at the tournament in Oakland in my division in September.”

What you like most about your high school: “I am currently taking all honors classes, including English II-ICAP, Spanish III-ICAP, AS Chemistry, Algebra II/Trig, World Studies III-ICAP, and Drawing/Painting. Most are called International College Advancement Program (or ICAP) classes and are the pre-requesite courses needed to enroll in the International Baccalaureate in my junior and senior years. I enjoy the academic challenge these classes give me and their focus in analytical skills and in-depth writing.”

Favorite subject and why: “English II-ICAP is my favorite subject this year. I excel at writing and enjoy the various texts we have read so far, including ‘The Tempest' by William Shakespeare and ‘Black Boy’ by Richard Wright.”

Least favorite subject and why: “Algebra II/Trig is my least favorite subject this year. I dislike the tediousness needed to solve the problems and the endless amount of calculations. I find it dry and boring.”

How many hours of homework on average do you do a night? “Anywhere from 1-3 hours. Two hours is the normal length, but sometimes three if I have put off a lot of work.”

Hobbies: “Drawing, reading, swimming, watching movies, and spending time with my family and friends.”

Whiz Kid's key to awesomeness: “Taking all honors courses and managing a social life is not as hard as you think. As long as you can stay organized and prioritize, you can do sports, theater, dance, or whatever without feeling stressed.”

Favorite foods: “Anything chocolate and sweet. Dim Sum, Italian, and Mexican foods I like as well.”

What are you reading right now? “’The Stranger’ by Albert Camus, and ‘Doctor Zhivago’ by Boris Pasternak."

What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekends? "Go shopping in San Francisco with my friends, watching classic black and white movies (I love film noir), going to the movie theater or out to eat with my boyfriend, reading a good book."

What do your parents make you do around the house that you dread or drives you crazy? “I absolutely hate cleaning out the cat’s litter box and having to help clean my brother’s room (Lego’s are everywhere!).”