Young People To Watch

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Kelli Haug, 17
As battalion commander of the Serra Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Kelli leads nearly 200 cadets in the highest ranked NJROTC unit in the Southwest. She’s a member of the Cadet Club, the ABC Club, the Associated Student Body Senate, the Key Club and the California Scholarship Federation—and she’s graduating with a 4.33 GPA. She also volunteers with charitable organizations, including 11 events supported by her NJROTC battalion during her senior year. Kelli earned an ROTC scholarship and plans to graduate from the University of Arizona with a degree in engineering and a naval officer commission. Her goal is to become a Navy pilot.

Matt Bohrer, 17
Matt thinks everyone should be exposed to the inspirational power of theater. He’s working on a program to take homeless teens to performances at La Jolla Playhouse. He joined the LJP’s Student Board in 2003 and helped write its constitution. In 2004, he became the board finance committee— the entire finance committee—and is now the president. Also an actor, Matt has performed with the Playwrights Project, Diversionary Theatre and the Actors Alliance Festival and studied at the La Jolla Playhouse Conservatory, the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and in the Yale Drama Program. He’s involved with La Jolla High’s Academic League Team, Model United Nations and Boys State.

Russell Lyons, 11
He decided to become an actor when he was 8. After hearing a cousin talk about the joys of acting, he auditioned for a local production of The Wizard of Oz. Next thing he knew, he was Munchkin #1. His résumé now includes several plays at the J*Company, a role in Starlight’s Fiddler on the Roof, a lead in Grossmont College Theatre Department’s Member of the Wedding, several commercials, films and a series-regular role on the TV pilot for Lilly’s Light (1,500 children auditioned). Although Russell says he “wants to always keep acting,” he thinks that when he gets older he’d like to do something else as well—become a veterinarian.

Anurag Kashyap, 13
It was a musical note that did it. On June 2, 2005, Anurag correctly spelled “appoggiatura” to win the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Maybe it was the four to five hours of daily studying (after he finished his regular homework, of course), maybe it was the coaching from his English teacher, or maybe he simply swallowed a dictionary. Last year, Anurag made it to 47th place in the competition. This time, the young spelling prodigy from Scripps Ranch defeated 272 competitors to take home the trophy and $30,000 in cash and prizes.

Zac York, 17
When Zac was 12, he was busy making plans to climb Mount Whitney with his father. Then he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Through five years, 17 surgeries, radiation therapy, hundreds of hours of physical therapy and numerous setbacks, Zac hasn’t let go of the dream. Initially confined to a wheelchair and unable even to walk without assistance, he is training again—planning to finally climb Mount Whitney next July. Not content to celebrate his own recovery, Zac has enlisted sponsors, donors and trainers to turn his climb into a fund-raiser for pediatric brain tumor research. He recently was invited to the Governor’s 2005 California Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities, and plans to produce a documentary to support his Mount Whitney project as part of his senior project. “I have a whole new outlook on life,” he says. “Before, I was ignorant. Now I’m grateful.”

Lyn-z Adams Hawkins, 15
Lyn-z is a skateboarding phenomenon. At 15, she won the 2004 X-Games women’s vert. She’s also the only girl to land the 55-foot Mega Ramp. She says it’s impossible to describe the experience, but after she nailed the landing, “I was speechless and so excited I didn’t know what to do.” Lyn-z also surfs and snowboards competitively and has been in several skateboarding films, promos and TV commercials. But competitive skateboarding is her passion. With sponsors like DC Shoes and Apparel, Nixon watches, K5 Board shop, Type-S wheels, TSG and the Encinitas YMCA Skate Park, it looks like a lot of people expect her to keep winning.

Ben Stone, 12
He’s much more than just a pretty face. As one of the top young male models in the country, Ben has worked for companies ranging from Ralph Lauren to Brooks Brothers to Target. In school, he’s worked hard to overcome dyslexia, and does well despite a busy work schedule. He’s currently doing TV commercials and trying to break into film, hoping to follow in (some of ) the footsteps of dyslexic actor Tom Cruise. Also a competitive ski racer, Ben spends weekends from December to April traveling to and from the mountains to train and compete. This year, he plans to spend free time to start a nonprofit that would provide free orthodontic work to disadvantaged children.

Patrick Ivison, 11
Most people in his shoes would think life had given them a great big bad break. Just months after he learned to walk, Patrick was hit by a car and left with spinal damage. He hasn’t walked since, but he plans to change that. Widely loved for his sunny personality, Patrick has become a Scripps Ranch community cause. As his family tries to raise money to put him through a special training program that may increase his chances of walking again, friends, neighbors, businesses and complete strangers are donating generously. Meanwhile, Patrick enjoys his life. He’s a Boy Scout who plays wheelchair basketball and soccer, surfs and skis.

Danielle Humphries, 17
Danielle tutors middle school students, represents her Encinitas school on student panels and is an integral part of Sunset High School’s Student Environmental Action and Leadership program. She recently worked with the Encinitas Community Senior Center and StoryArts, Inc. on the Youth Elders Story Book Project, and worked with the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation to script, produce and film a short video documentary and several promotional spots about local recycling projects. Danielle has already lived independently for nearly two years, due to a difficult family situation, working to support herself as she finishes high school. She shrugs that off, saying, “I was put in a situation where I had to, so I just did.”

Anthony Rodriguez, 21
Watch him dance, and you won’t doubt for a minute he’s a star. After his mother, father and grandmother died in the same year when he was a child, Anthony fell into dancing and discovered a safe haven. “It became about me feeling safe, secure and free,” he says. “We all think so much. When I dance, I feel like I’m present with my heart, in the moment that I have now.” He won a scholarship through the San Diego Dance Institute and used it to take classes at Eveoke Dance Theatre, where he now performs and teaches low-income, at risk youth—helping to discover a new generation of outstanding dance talent. Anthony made his company debut this year in Eveoke’s acclaimed Parting the Sea and is choreographing Hip-Hop Is Everywhere for the 2006 season.

Anisha Nicole Gwynn, 19
Anisha Nicole’s second album, 19, dropped in April, and we’ve been hearing the hit single “Wind Your Waist” ever since. She’s spent the past few months appearing on Soul Train, opening for Brian McKnight and Roy Jones Jr. and booking shows across the country. If you’re wondering about the album name, the young R&B/dance sensation named it for her age and her father’s former jersey number. Anisha’s dad is San Diego baseball legend Tony Gwynn, somebody else who knows something about hits.

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