Whiz Kid: Mairen O'Shea

Each week, Birmingham Patch spotlights young people in the community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. Today, we introduce this latest Whiz Kid:

Mairen O'Shea

• Age: 14
• School:
• Achievement: O'Shea was just notified that she is one of 45 students from across the country admitted to the Ross Mathematics Program, an eight-week-long intensive mathematics workshop at Ohio State University. Usually, only those 15 years old and up are accepted. O'Shea was one of 13 girls selected for the program.
  
• Key to Awesomness: Besides wrapping up her sophomore year at Seaholm at 14 years old, O'Shea's dad Kevin said his daughter is finishing a tenure as a book reviewer for the National Geographic Kids website.  She is one of six students selected for the position. Her dream is to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Do you know a special kid in the community who deserves applause because he volunteers after school? Or, maybe your daughter's science club challenges how we think about the environment? Or, perhaps your son's team won its first game in three years. Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

Email nominations to Editor Laura Houser at laura.houser@patch.com, provide the information given above and include a photo with names and ages. Come back every Tuesday for our Whiz Kid spotlight.