Talented teens: they are making their mark at an early age

LOOK out world! Here comes the newest generation of trailblazers, who just happen to be teenagers. And what they lack in years, they make up with an impressive show of determination and drive. Each of these outstanding teenagers shares a common thread--a willingness to succeed in their chosen professions beyond the expectations of society.

With determination, patience, and the support of family, they are all going places--and fast.

Raynece Leader-Thompson

Having a focused willingness to help others is paying off for RAYNECE LEADER-THOMPSON, who, at age 13, created the Math-A-Mania game, which she designed to make learning math fun. The game became so popular in Tulsa, Okla., where the now 16-year-old Thompson lives, she began traveling across the country with her morn, Johnece Thompson, to introduce and promote the game to schools.

The 11th-grade entrepreneur stays busy with school, her Web site (www.mathworkz.com), and her role as the vice president of Math Workz, LLC, which markets her math game and will (she hopes) shatter the mystery of math for many students.

Chase Austin

CHASE AUSTIN is most comfortable at high speeds. The 15-year-old professional race car driver comes from a close-knit family in Eudora, Kansas, and started racing go-karts at age 8. Boyishly charming, Austin worked his way up to full-bodied stock cars and open-wheel sprint cars, garnering more than 100 victories and three Rookie of the Year Awards. He was courted by top NASCAR teams and signed to the prestigious Hendrick Motorsports in 2004. It's a move that could usher Austin to the Nextel Cup series and superstardom, since there has never been a minority winner in the race. It may also attract more African-Americans to professional racing. "I hope it does," says Austin, "the same way minorities started watching golf when tiger Woods started playing." While Austin isn't old enough to have a driver's license, off-the racetrack he can be spotted tooling around his neighborhood in his orange Porsche, courtesy of a farm permit, which limits his driving to and from school and to do errands.

La Tonya King

Female boxing, like racing, is also attracting more young urban fans. Especially if LA TONYA KING, a 16-year-old boxing champion from Detroit, continues to knock out her competition. The 10th-grader and straight-A student started taking boxing lessons after helping to defend her younger brother during a fight. Training in Detroit's Kronk Gym under the tutelage of Javan Hill, who usually does not train females, she honed her lethal left hook and impeccable footwork. The 114-pound King holds six national titles and one world title, often taking on opponents who are 25 pounds heavier than she is, according to her stepfather/manager, Michael Patterson. "I've seen her knock out boys," recalls Patterson. "I've seen her make them cry." King trains five days a week and is hoping that boxing, along with her outstanding GPA (4.10), will get her a college scholarship and a chance to meet her idol--Oprah Winfrey. "It all comes from the discipline," says King who once wanted to be a math teacher. "I am really focused on what I am doing."

Donald Young

Tennis pro DONALD YOUNG has some impressive numbers of his own. Young, 15, became the youngest male and African-American to win a junior Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2005, where he beat his opponent from Korea, 6-2, 6-4. Young is also both the youngest player and the first African-American youth to rank No. 1 in the history of the ITF (International Tennis Federation) World Junior World Rankings. Coached by his parents, Donald Sr. and Illona, who started a tennis center in Chicago, he developed a love for the sport. Many have likened him to John McEnroe because he plays left-handed. Still, he insists that he is just "a normal teenager" who loves McDonald's, watching movies and listening to music.

Damien and Tourie Escobar

The violin-duo Nuttin' But Stringz, featuring brothers DAMIEN, 18, and TOURIE ESCOBAR, 19, from Queens, are fusing together classical and rap music genres. Damien, who enjoys Vivaldi and Dr. Dre, doesn't categorize the group's music. "There is no particular label," Damien insists. "We create music all night, every night. It's all based on emotion. Hip-hop violinists, that's not what we are. "He and brother Tourie are Juilliard-trained musicians. Their group, Nuttin' But Stringz, was formed two years ago, born from the same gritty New York streets and subways that produced hard-core rappers such as 50 Cent. Even though the brothers wear braided hair and baggy clothes, their music brings a message of something different to audiences, especially to the children who they entertain while visiting New York schools, where they get a P. Diddy-like reception. "There is so much love that you can get from the kids," says Tourie. "They see that cool people can play the violin." The brothers are working on their first album, Struggle: From the Subway to the Charts, scheduled to be released in August.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group