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The Winners Are …

Zoe Johannsen, a student at Nichols Middle School in Evanston, Ill., won the grand prize in this year's Eyewitness to History Contest. Her interview with Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor appeared in issue 25 of Current Events.

Thank you to all of the students who entered this year’s contest. We received hundreds of entries, but two essays stood out as this year’s runners-up. Both students attend Dayspring Academy Middle School in Port Richey, Fla.
 
Oklahoma City Bombing    
Taryn Schreck interviewed her dad, Robert Schreck, about his role in searching for survivors of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Michael Fortier were all tried and convicted for their roles in the bombing.  

Taryn Schreck: For people who don’t know, what was the Oklahoma City bombing?
Robert Schreck: On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building [in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma], killing 168 people. McVeigh had been angry with the U.S. government for many years over imagined conspiracies and other events.

TS: Did you work in the federal building? What did you do there?
RS: I was a criminal investigator on temporary duty assigned to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on the ninth floor of the building.

TS: What other businesses were in the building?
RS: Mostly there were federal law enforcement agencies, but it also included a credit union [a bank] and a child daycare center.

TS: How did you find out about the bombing?
RS: I was notified by telephone by an agent I knew a few minutes after detonation. He was calling me to check on me and find out if I was in the building or not.

TS: Where were you when [the bombing] happened?
RS: I was at an apartment that was provided to me.

TS: What was your involvement with the aftermath of the bombing?
RS: Immediately afterward, I was on site, and during a second bomb scare, myself and another agent disobeyed orders to evacuate and went up to search for survivors. It was very difficult because the detonation had torn away the front half of the building, taking away all the hallways. We had to climb over debris and kick holes through walls so that we could crawl through so we could get into various offices and search. We found no survivors.

TS: What did you see when you arrived at [the] bombing site?
RS: I arrived at the back of the building [the south side], which looked almost normal. But when I walked around to the front of the building [the north side], the whole front of the building had been ripped off. There was a large gaping hole in what was left of the floors, which reached all the way to the back of the building.

TS: Did you sustain any injuries there?
RS: I was injured slightly. I sprained my ankle while kicking holes in the walls. I had a 6- to 8-inch laceration on my left arm. I had glass embedded in my scalp from falling debris.

TS: Did you know any of the people killed?
RS: All of the federal law enforcement agents [DEA and other agencies] I knew were killed. I forget how many police funerals I attended, but sometimes there were two per day.

TS: Did you receive any commendation for your work in the aftermath of the bombing?
RS: I received several medals, including a medal for valor.

From this interview, I learned that every person on the planet can make a difference, whether good or bad. Everything can change in a blink of the eye. The actions of Timothy McVeigh changed the courses of the lives for not only those killed, but their loved ones. You never know when your life will get turned upside down or twisted around. Everything can change.

To learn more about the Oklahoma City Bombing, click here.

Spanish Civil War
Ana Filippone interviewed her great-grandfather Jose Gomez Sanchez about what it was like to be forced to become a medic in the army of Gen. Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).

Ana Filippone: When and how did the Spanish Civil War actually start?
Jose Sanchez: Spain was a kingdom and all of a sudden came the Republicans who overthrew the king. There was a lot of discontent and disorder, lots of hunger, lots of misery, and there were the really poor and filthy rich. There was no in between. Then in 1936, … a general named Francisco Franco … decided to fight the Republicans. We called them Rojos, or Reds. Franco formed his own army and the war began.

AF: How old did you have to be to be drafted, and was it men, or both men and women?
JS: Oh no, it was definitely only men! At the time, any man between the ages of 18 and 40 had to participate in the Spanish Civil War. It wasn’t a choice, but a command.

AF: When you were drafted, what part did you play in the Spanish Civil War?
JS: When they called me I was put on the nationalist’s side with Francisco Franco, whom I did not like, against my will. … Which city you lived in depended on which side you fought for, and if you didn’t fight for that side, you were killed. My city was nationalist, therefore making me one too.

AF: Were you a soldier, medic, general, or what, during the war?
JS: When they called me, they saw that I had a pharmaceutical background and knew how to give injections, so they sent me to work in the mobile hospital.

AF: Did you receive lots of wounded soldiers?
JS: Many wounded soldiers came each day. Some days I had to work 24 hours without sleep to help all those in need. It was exhausting and played with me emotionally. So many died and bodies stacked up so quickly we just threw them into mass graves.

AF: If the hospitals were mobile, where were they placed and were you ever worried of any lurking dangers?
JS: We were usually placed close to trenches so that we could quickly help those in need. I was always worried about dangers. Every single day I would hear about another hospital being blown up. … My worries never lessened because you never knew if the next hospital to be blown up would be yours. It was scary knowing that any day could be your last.

AF: Were you able to contact anyone those three years you were in the war?
JS: The three years I was there were long and painful. … I was never allowed to see my family, and since technology was [not advanced] back then, I couldn’t contact my family through a computer or anything. I missed them so much! It still saddens me to think about how alone I felt.

AF: How did the war end?
JS: Franco reached Madrid [in 1939] actually the same time I was relieved as a “doctor,” three years after I was called in. … He beat the Reds, who fled to France and Portugal. Those who didn’t leave were killed. [Franco ruled Spain as a dictator until he died in 1975.]

AF: If there were one worst memory of the war, what would it be?
JS: Right before I was drafted I was sitting outside my wife’s house with her best friend. They went to take a walk when all of a sudden I saw a plane on its way, called a pava. My wife said that she was going home with me because that was one of the Reds’ planes. … When we were a good distance away from my wife’s friend we heard a sound and turned around. A bomb went down over my wife’s best friend. We were hit with lots of debris, but we saw her friend die upon impact with the bomb. I will never forget the look of horror on her face as she took her last gasp.

I found this interview quite interesting and emotionally grasping. My great-grandpa spoke about many of the Spanish Civil War’s important facts, but what I found most invigorating were the small stories he incorporated into his many experiences throughout the war. When the interview came to a close, my great-grandpa started sobbing, which is what forced me to end the interview. However, it was when the interview ended that I felt emotionally moved. It made me feel as if life is too important to waste, so make sure you live it to the rim of the bowl. Just being simple humans, the smallest things could end the precious life you’re given in an instant. Instead, I try to enjoy every day with pride because somewhere out there people are witnessing unforgettable horrors and someone like my great-grandpa is there to remember them.

To learn more about the Spanish Civil War, click here.

Photos: Oklahoma City Bombing: AP Images; Spanish Civil War: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis

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Cool Cat

In the upcoming movie Marmaduke, comedian and talk show host George Lopez plays Carlos the cat, a wisecracking sidekick to a fun-loving Great Dane. Student reporter Adam Raso recently spoke with Lopez about Marmaduke, which opens June 4.

Adam Raso: How is your character in Marmaduke like you?
George Lopez: He’s very witty. He’s very quick to comment on things that are going on with Marmaduke.  

AR: Which scene in the film was the most fun to do? 
GL: There’s a scene in the park where Marmaduke is trying to fit in with the other dogs. … So he asks me if he can beat me up to prove to the dogs that he’s tough. So it’s kind of a staged fight, but then he gets out of control and really beats me up.

AR: Which do you prefer: acting or stand-up comedy?
GL: Stand-up is the most freeing of everything that I do, but I think acting is the most challenging. And then doing Lopez Tonight is the most fun because it’s different every day.

AR: Was there anyone who inspired you to become a comedian?
GL: Freddie Prinze was a comedian that was on a show called Chico and the Man. … I knew that he did stand-up too, so I thought, “Wow here’s a job where you can tell jokes and then if you’re good enough you can act.” So then when I was 18, I started doing stand-up, but I never imagined that I would ever have my own show. But the opportunity to have my own show didn’t come for almost 21 years.

AR: What was your favorite kid movie to film?
GL: My favorite kid movie would probably be Beverly Hills Chihuahua because it was a small part that I made bigger. I’d go in there and every time I said something, they wanted more of it. So it was interesting because in the original movie script, I only had [about] five lines. … As I started to work with the director, my part became bigger, and if you’ve seen Beverly Hills Chihuahua, the dog Boppy is all through the whole movie.

AR: If you get tired of the moviemaking and comedy business, what would you do with your free time?
GL: I would play golf. I have a house in Hawaii and I like to travel so I would play golf and travel to Scotland. I love to play golf in Scotland. … I started [working] when I was 18, so … at some point I’m going to try to slow down a little bit.

AR: What advice would you give to kids who want to become actors or comedians?
GL: What I would say to anybody is to do your homework as far as what kind of actor you want to be. If you see yourself as a type, like if you say, “I’m kind of like Ben Stiller,” then I would go get Ben Stiller’s movies and study Ben Stiller, and see what he does, and how he works, and what makes him funny. Or if [you] wanted to be a comedian, I would go find DVDs or go on the Internet and look at comedians that you like to try to study their style.

Photos: movie still: Joe Lederer/20th Century Fox; George Lopez: AP Images

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The Wright Way

Now that baseball season is in full swing, David Wright has his sights set on
leading the New York Mets to the playoffs. He got off to a good start, clubbing
a two-run homer in the Mets 7–1 Opening Day win. Student reporter Brendan
McSharry recently spoke with the All-Star third baseman about life on and
off the field.

Brendan McSharry: What was the most memorable moment of your career?
David Wright: No question, the 2006 playoffs. The atmosphere at Shea Stadium and the intensity of playoff baseball in New York was something I’ll always remember. I use that as motivation and a push for us to get back to that level.

BM: What are your goals for the 2010 season?
DW: The biggest goal we have is to win, to get back to that point where we as a team are competing for the National League East and being that playoff-caliber team. Everybody individually has goals to get us as a team to that point.

BM: Besides baseball, what are your interests? 
DW: Anything that has to do with sports. I love playing golf. I love watching
different sports, whether it’s football or basketball. I’ve got three younger
brothers—I enjoy hanging out with them.

BM: Why did you start your charity, the David Wright Foundation?
DW: I realized at a relatively young age that baseball players have a pretty big impact in New York and that you can do some pretty great things just because
of your profession. I’ve kind of taken New York as my second home, and I just wanted to do as much as I could for a community that welcomed me with
open arms. 

BM: Your charity does a lot of work to fight multiple sclerosis. Why is that such an important cause for you?
DW: I had a friend whose wife had MS, so I wanted to do the first couple of events in his honor. But since then, we work with a lot of kids. We work a lot of underprivileged kids, both in New York and back home where I’m from in Virginia. So getting the chance to work with children … is a lot of fun for me, and I think the kids get a kick out of it as well.

BM: Who in your life has had the biggest effect on you?
DW: No question, the biggest impact on my life and my career has been my parents. They really stopped everything they were doing to make sure that me and my brothers could play every sport that we wanted and make sure that we got a good education. [They] really put an emphasis on education. So I thank them for that because they gave us a very solid foundation from an early age.

BM: What advice do you have for kids? 
DW: The most important thing is to do well in school because that kind of sets up the rest of your life. If you put in the work in the classroom, that kind of discipline carries over to whatever else you want to do.

Photo: Doug Benc/Getty Images

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Across the Universe

For the past 20 years, the Hubble Space Telescope has been taking pictures of distant galaxies, strange nebulae (clouds of gas and dust), and far-off star clusters. Now Hubble has become a star in its own right. In the new IMAX film Hubble 3D, viewers blast off with the astronauts who upgraded the stargazing satellite’s instruments last May. Student reporter Peter Brosnan spoke with astronaut Mike Massimino, who was part of two Hubble missions.

Peter Brosnan: What was it like to see Earth from space for the first time?
Mike Massimino: It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. … The planet was all blue because we were over the ocean.

PB: What was it like to step out into space for the first time? 
MM: A little overwhelming. When you look through the window, you can’t look all
the way around because the window restricts what you can see. But through your helmet, you can see the whole Earth in front of you, and it’s really big but you see
it as a gigantic round ball.

PB: What is your favorite part of Hubble 3D?
MM: The launch footage is really cool. I think the spacewalk footage is also amazing because it shows us up close what it looks like when we spacewalk. … The best thing is the view of the Earth. The IMAX film is able to capture that image better than any other type of film that I have seen. [Click here find out more about Hubble 3D.]

PB: How do you manage to make repairs wearing those bulky gloves?
MM: Our tools have big handles on them so we don’t have to grip them too tightly. … We [also] have heaters for our hands. In the gloves, there’s a little switch we can turn on, and there are heaters that warm your hands up.

PB: What are some interesting facts about living and working in space that people may not know about?
MM: You’ve got to be really careful with water. … If it splatters on things, it can cause a problem with your equipment, or get people wet because it floats. We drink out of a bag with a straw, and the straw has a lock on it. When we’re not drinking from the straw, we can lock it so that the water doesn’t get out.

PB: How does your body feel when after your reentry to Earth?  
MM: It feels a little bit heavy at first because you’re not used to being in one gravity, but then you adjust to that. You also feel a little off balance because you haven’t been walking around for awhile, but all that comes back pretty quickly. One thing we do to prepare for our return is drink lots of fluid … so we wont’ faint or be dehydrated when we get back.

PB: How did it feel to say good-bye to Hubble?
MM: We were happy that we didn’t break it! And that we had done our job correctly. We were very excited about seeing the new images that were going to come out of the telescope.

Photos: NASA (2)

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Let's Dance!

Figure skater Evan Lysacek displayed flawless footwork on his way to winning a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Now he’s hoping to show off that same skill—minus the skates—on the new season of Dancing with the Stars. CE student reporter Maria Belding recently caught up with Lysacek as he prepared for his dance-floor debut on March 22.

Maria Belding: At the Olympics, what were you thinking as you were standing on the podium wearing a gold medal?
Evan Lysacek: It felt like I was out there for a split second—it went so quickly. But even in that moment I was thinking of all the people that have helped me along the way. It’s hard not to think of some of the tough times and the people that believed in me.

MB: Where do you keep your
gold medal?
EL: Actually, it’s with me right now. … I have all my medals from previous competitions sort of in boxes piled, but I think I want to keep it somewhere where I can see it everyday. It’s more special and truly beautiful looking, so I want to keep it out, displayed. However, I didn’t have a display case or anything, and I went on the Ellen show, and she gave me this Lucite box with her head in it. So I really do keep it in there when I’m home, right around Ellen’s neck!

MB: Other than winning the gold medal, what else did you like about the Olympics?
EL: I was in Torino [for the 2006 Winter Olympics] and it was nice, but it didn’t
have the spirit that Vancouver had. There were just so many stories in Vancouver
… so many triumphant ones. And I think that’s what the spirit of the Olympics is.
The sports, the athletes, and the formalities of it are just kind of the bone
structure. But the stories are really the soul, and this Olympics just happened to
have a lot of soul.

MB: What was your reaction when you were asked to join Dancing with the Stars?
EL: First I said no because I thought it was kind of impossible for me because I was already committed to doing the Stars on Ice tour. It’s 40 cities across the country, and I just didn’t see any way for me to do both things at once. But my agent worked with the production and worked out a schedule that was feasible.
    At the same time, I started to think that it was a really good idea. The Olympics had been my focus for so long and training has been my life, and now all of a sudden it’s over. Now that it’s over, I feel a little bit of a void in my life. … The show right now has me learning and taking on this new challenge and keeping that daily structure in my life of training and fitness and being active. It’s really sort of given me a new outlet.

MB: What’s harder for you: ice-skating or dancing?
EL: Skating is a difficult sport. It’s hard to even compare because it’s so unique. … I’ve never danced before in my life. I’m trying to learn so much every single day
that it does take a lot of concentration. But it’s physically not as grueling as
skating training.

MB: How many hours a day do you practice?
EL: For the show we do six hours a day, six days a week. That’s less than a normal training day would be for skating.

MB: Who do you think will be your biggest competition on Dancing with the Stars?
EL: It’s a very diverse group, but already we’re very tight-knit. I think everyone has

a certain amount of grace and ability this season more so than any other. I have learned as an Olympian, as an athlete and a competitor, that when you’re in a competition like this one, never rule anyone out.

Photo: Craig Sjodin/ABC

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Making a Miracle

By student reporter Lory Martinez

The stage lights come on, the audience quiets, and a young girl approaches her mother. She attempts to speak, to no avail. In what may be the toughest role of her career, Abigail Breslin stars as Helen Keller in a Broadway production of The Miracle Worker. Keller, who became deaf and blind as a toddler, overcame her disabilities and served as an inspiration to people around the world. I recently spoke with Abigail, 13, about the play, which opened March 3 at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City.

Lory Martinez: You’ve starred in comedies such as Little Miss Sunshine. What made you go for a more serious role?
Abigail Breslin: I really wanted to do The Miracle Worker because Helen Keller is such a hero of mine and she was such an amazing woman. So to be able to play her—and on Broadway, because I’m from New York—was just so exciting.

LM: How did you prepare to play Keller?
AB: I read a kid biography of her when I was 7, but that’s not really preparation.
I read her autobiography a couple weeks ago, and I visited the Helen Keller
National Center in Long Island with the rest of the cast. We learned a lot about
her and about her life.

LM: Helen throws a lot of tantrums. Is that physical acting difficult to do each night?
AB: Yeah, it’s really hard to do all the tantrums. You get really physically exhausted by the end of the night, and especially when you have two shows, it kind of gets crazy. But I’ve been having a really great time just learning about her and her family.

LM: What do you do when you’re not acting?
AB: I like to shop. I like to have sleepovers with my friends. I like to go to the movies. I like to read.

LM: What kind of books do you like to read?
AB: Well, I love the Twilight series and I love Anne of Green Gables, and I love
the Clique series.

LM: What is the hardest part of being a young actress?
AB: I love making movies and I love doing this, so everything has been pretty good so far. But probably trying to get schoolwork done is the hardest part. I have to do three hours a day of school when I’m on set, so that’s the hardest part.

LM: What is the biggest difference between acting in films and in theater?
AB: Well, with film, you have more than one take. You can do as many takes
[as needed] to get it sort of perfected. But with [theater], you have one chance
to go up and do it perfectly each night.

Photo: John Dugdale

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Justice for All

Former Zoey 101 star Victoria Justice is heading back to school. In her new show, Victorious, she plays Tori Vega, a teen who unexpectedly winds up at a top performing arts high school. Justice, 17, spoke with student reporter Emily Jue about the show, which debuts March 27 on Nickelodeon.

Emily Jue: Could you tell me about your character on Victorious? 
Victoria Justice: She’s kind of like your everyday normal girl, just figuring everything out, and she gets thrown into the world of an elite performing arts high school. And from there, its about her discovering herself, discovering her talents … and also dealing with things that normal teens go through.

EJ: Do you like playing Tori Vega?
VJ: I do. I’m having so much fun. … We always get to do really kooky things and get dressed up in weird outfits. There’s always some funny, hilarious thing going on in the episodes, so I’m having an awesome time.

EJ: On Zoey 101, your character, Lola, dreams of becoming an Oscar-winning actress. What is your ultimate dream?
VJ: My ultimate dream … right now [is] to make a TV show that people love and that can help kids learn from experiences and that kids can laugh at and … escape to if they’re having problems. They can just turn on my show and enjoy themselves.

EJ: What are some of your disappointments, and how did you learn from them?
VJ: There’ve been a lot of roles that I’ve really, really wanted and came really
close on and then someone else got it. You work so hard, and you put so much
time into it, and it’s just like poof!—it’s gone. So I’ve had to deal with a lot of those disappointments. But I think, no matter what, you learn and you grow from those experiences. You develop, you get tougher skin, and you just pick yourself up and you keep going.

EJ: If you were not acting right now, what would you be doing?
VJ: That’s always a hard question for me because I can’t really picture myself
doing anything else but acting. … But I guess I would just be really focused on
my education. Just, you know, be a normal kid and go through normal high
school experiences.

EJ: Who do you look up to and why?
VJ: I look up to my mom because she’s one of the smartest people I know.
And she’s the most optimistic, positive person I’ve ever met in my life. No matter
what situation she’s in, she always finds the best in it, and I think that’s an
amazing quality.

Photo credit: Nickelodeon

Myth Master

Percy Jackson has some epic teenage troubles. In The Lightning Thief, the first book in a popular series, he must return a lightning bolt to the Greek god Zeus on Mount Olympus to prevent a modern-day war among the gods. The film based on that book stormed into theaters on February 12. Student reporter Jack Roberson recently interviewed the book’s author, Rick Riordan, about his literary adventures.

Jack Roberson: What was your inspiration for the Percy Jackson series?
Rick Riordan: My older son was studying Greek mythology when he was 9. I’d taught mythology as a middle school teacher for years, so I started telling him myths for bedtime stories. When I ran out, I made up Percy Jackson.

JR: Of all your books, do you have a favorite?
RR: Definitely I like the Percy Jackson series, but I don’t really have a favorite within the series, because I see it as one big story. It’s sort of like trying to decide if you like the beginning, middle, or end of a story the best. They’re all important!

JR: How have the years you spent as a teacher influenced your writing?
RR: When I was writing The Lightning Thief, I imagined I was reading it aloud to my own students. That helped me keep the story moving and make it interesting. I also asked some of my students to read an early draft, and they gave me lots of good advice.

JR: What did you enjoy most about teaching?
RR: I liked trying to make class fun for my students. We would do a lot of activities and games related to the subjects I taught.The class was always moving at high speed! I’m a bit … like Percy Jackson, and I get bored easily, so I tried to keep both myself and my students interested in learning.

JR: Did you always want to be a writer?
RR: Yep, since I was about 12 years old, but I was 29 before I first got a book published. Then it was another 10 years before I came up with Percy Jackson.
So it took a long time and a lot of persistence.

JR: What was your favorite subject in school?
RR: It depended a lot on the teacher. Some years, I liked English. Some years,
I liked history or science. Whichever teacher had the most interesting, engaging teacher style – that was always the class I liked best.

JR: What was your favorite book or author as a kid?
RR: My favorite series was the Lord of the Rings. That got me started on fantasy reading and writing.

JR: What advice do you have for young writers?
RR: Read a lot, because that’s how you learn what good writing looks like. Write a lot, because you can only get better with practice. And don’t give up! All writers get rejection slips from time to time, but you have to be persistent.

Click here to find out more about Rick Riordan and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series.

Photo credits: Riordan: SHNS/Becky Riordan/Newscom; movie: 20th Century Fox;
book: Courtesy of Disney Hyperion

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Gold Rush

From February 12 to 28, more than 200 American athletes will see whether they have the golden touch at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Student reporter Michael Tobin recently interviewed two U.S. Olympians who hope to glide to victory at the games.

Lindsey Vonn
Sport: Alpine skiing
Events: Downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G,  super combined

Michael Tobin: How do you feel as you prepare for the Winter Olympics?
Lindsey Vonn: Competing in the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, so it’s very exciting. This is my third Olympic Games, and I feel like I’m better prepared than ever.

MT: What is a typical day of training like?
LV: A typical day in the off-season would be going to the gym for up to eight hours. I do about three hours of bike riding, and I do weights. I do drills outside, probably kind of like the things you would do in PE class—running through cones and stuff! … During the race season, we do a bunch of runs on the hill, depending on how many different [events] I need to train for that week. We will talk about how the runs went and how I can improve on my strategy for the course.

MT: What are your goals for the 2010 games?
LV: I’ve never won an Olympic medal before, so my goal is just to win one—
of any color!

MT: What do you like to do when you’re not training?
LV: I like to spend time with my husband and friends. I enjoy cooking at home, or going to the movies or shopping.

Travis Jayner
Sport: Short track speed skating
Events: 1,000 meters and 5,000-meter relay

Michael Tobin: What do you
like best about speed skating?
Travis Jayner: I really like the speed, but I also just like skating itself. I love … being able to just push and being able to glide on the ice. It makes you feel like you’re going even faster than you actually are.

MT: Who or what inspired you to start skating?
TJ: I think my parents had a really big influence in that. My father skated in New York City back when he was a kid, so I think it was just natural for him to start my brother and me in skating. In terms of continuing skating, I think it’s basically just been me having fun. It’s just been the most fun I could ever have.

MT: What is a typical day of Olympic training like?
TJ: Hard. A lot of training. There are times when I’m at the rink for almost 10 hours, my whole day.

MT: What do you think will be the best part about competing in the Winter Olympics?
TJ: I think actually the competition itself. … To actually compete at this level, it’s going to be awesome. It’s what I’ve been dreaming of since I was a little kid.

MT: What advice do you have for kids who want to compete in the Winter Olympics one day?
TJ: I think the most important thing is to have fun. If you have fun, you’ll love what you’re doing. And if you love what you’re doing … it will be easier to improve and get better every day and push yourself.

Photo credits: Vonn: Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images; Jayner: Doug Benc/Getty Images

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Making Change

It all started with clementines. At age 4, Bilaal Rajan sold the citrus fruit door-to-door in his hometown of Toronto to raise money for earthquake victims in India. Bilaal, now 13, estimates that he has since raised more than $5 million for a variety of causes. He has traveled to countries including Tanzania, Malawi, and Ecuador to promote children’s causes. As the children’s ambassador for UNICEF Canada, he is now working to help victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. (To find out more about Bilaal's fund-raising efforts for Haiti, click here.) In his book, Making Change: Tips from an Underage Overachiever, Bilaal explains how people of any age can get involved in their communities. The ninth grader recently spoke with Current Events about making a difference.

Current Events: Your charitable work has taken you to almost every corner of the world. Which experience has been the most rewarding?
Bilaal Rajan: They’re all really rewarding in their own sense. What I find in all the places I go is that the children there are always smiling. You go to these countries where kids don’t have the opportunity to go to school, they’re living on scraps … and they still smile. And it’s just absolutely astounding.

CE: What inspired you to write the book Making Change?
BR: I found that my passion is making a difference [in people’s lives], so why not tell others how they can do so? The first half of the book is about activism, the second half is about eight principles you can use to apply to really anything in life—
fundraising, activism, sports, academics.

CE: You recently carried the Olympic torch.
What was that like?
BR: The experience is almost indescribable. This flame has been passed around all of Canada. It represents years of the world really coming together to celebrate diversity and finding one common good.

CE: Tell us about your Barefoot Challenge.
BR: Being able to travel to countries around the world has really opened my eyes to a variety of things that people suffer from, whether it is the lack of clean water or the lack of food. One thing that I really noticed was the lack of shoes on people’s feet. … I really wanted to raise awareness about the fact that others around the world didn’t have shoes. … So I challenged others around the world to join me in going barefoot for a week in April [of last year]. It was joined by people from over 25 countries … and I hope to have the same response this year. [Note: Bilaal’s Barefoot Challenge is planned for Canada’s National Volunteer Week, April 18 to 24, 2010.]

CE: A lot of young people want to make a difference but don’t know how to start. What advice would you give them?

BR: Taking action is the first step. It’s the most crucial and important step in making a difference. It doesn’t have to be that $5 million fund-raiser that happens off the bat. I started selling clementines—three for a dollar or one for 50 cents. It starts small. It really takes a spark to light a bonfire.

Photos courtesy of Aman Rajan

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