Whiz Kid: Jackie Mutai

Name: Jackie Mutai

School/Year: Wheaton High School/12th grade

Accomplishment: After a busy four years of high school, Jackie Mutai was announced as one of four MCPS students who won the Gates Millenium Scholarship. The scholarship is a full-ride plus expenses at the student's choice of college. Mutai will be attending Rice University in the fall.

Key to Awesomeness: As a Institute for Global and Cultural Studies academy student at Wheaton, Mutai is interested pursuing a major in International Relations at Rice, but she's also accomplished in her math and science classes.

Mutai cites her friends as a big part of her success in high school.

"We're very competitive, but if one of us falls behind, we're here for each other," she said. 

Mutai was captain of all three of her sports teams this year (Hockey, Basketball and Softball), and is senior class vice president. 

"She has a lot of internal drive," math teacher Ashley Schreckengost, who taught Mutai in both AP Calculus and AP Statistics, adding that education is very important in Mutai's family. 

Oh, there's also the part about the First Lady.

Mutai (and three other Wheaton High School students), were chosen for a mentorship program for D.C.-area high school students by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Once a month, Mutai and another Wheaton High school student meet with Michelle Obama to discuss school and meet with different women in the administration. 

"You've got the first lady of the United States looking at your grades," Schreckengost said," That's huge."