Whiz Kid: Claudia Khoury

Each week Harrison Patch wants to spotlight someone you know who is doing great things! We will recognize their accomplishments through our Whiz Kids column. 

This week we chose Purchase resident and award winning poet Claudia Khoury.

Whiz Kids' Accomplishments: Claudia was awarded a Gold Key in the 2011 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her poetry. She is also volunteers her time at the Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla.

Key to Awesomeness: As a high school junior Claudia already boasts more recognition as a poet than most students achieve throughout their college years. She has been recognized with a Gold Key at the regional and national level, and hopes to be awarded again before graduation. Her work has been published in two religious magazines and she also finds time to volunteer at an area children's hospital.

Claudia has been writing poetry since middle school, when she worked on comical pieces about goldfish. But she really hit her stride when she began to focus on biblical pieces, giving life to minor characters in passages from the bible.

"I think it's really cool to take characters like that, that basically have no story behind them and then give them a story," she said. "Once I found that I really liked writing from the point of view of these minor characters in the bible then I just latched on to poetry and I've been writing a ton ever since."

In her spare time the Purchase resident drives over to Valhalla, where she visits with children receiving treatment at the Blythedale Children's Hospital. She says her and a friend create nursery rhymes with animations for young kids.

Claudia's other interests include languages. She is fluent in French, learning Spanish and hopes to master Arabic once she goes to college. She will also become the editor of Voices, her school's bilingual literary, during her senior year.

Although it's to early to make an concrete plans for her future, she says she hopes to one day become a chef.

Congratulations to Claudia Khoury, the sky certainly appears to be the limit for this week's Harrison Whiz Kid!

If you would like to nominate a Whiz Kid please send the following information to Harrison Patch Editor Zach Oliva.

• Nominator's Name
• Nominator's E-Mail
• Whiz Kid's Name
• Whiz Kid's School
• Whiz Kid's Accomplishment
• Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness (What made him/her successful?)

If your nominee is selected, we'll contact you and assign a photographer to take a picture.