For most of us, childhood was the time where we ate glue, combed gum out of our hair, played games like ‘hot potato’ and read books that rhymed. For these children, that simply wouldn’t fly…they had bigger plans. These amazing children have outdone themselves time and time again, garnering respect because of their stellar academics, exceptional physical ability and amazing talents.

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Gabrielle Douglas: Olympic Rock Star

A couple of months ago, we would have never guessed that a 16-year-old African American girl would take the Olympics by storm. Now, we can’t turn a corner or lift a magazine without seeing Gabby’s face on it or hearing her name. The young gymnast is the first woman of color and first African American to become the individual all-around champion, and she is the first American to earn gold in both team competitions and individual all-around. Since winning, she’s been on the cover of many magazines and even on the front of the Wheaties box. Skip the magazines, Wheaties??? You know you’ve made it big time when you’re on the front of the breakfast of champions!

Hazel Scott was a legendary musician known for putting her own twist on the classical Chopin and Bach. Reviewers said she blended elements of jazz and even boogie woogie into the classics crafting an entirely different sound. In addition to her nimble fingers, Hazel also harbored a power house voice that was reminiscent of a young Judy Garland.

Hazel was born in 1920 with a gift. The Trinidadian beauty was the daughter of a West African scholar, R. Thomas Scott and Alma Scott, a classical trained pianist from Liverpool, England. She inherited her mother’s gift of creating music and started to play the piano by ear at three years old. Once Alma realized her toddler daughter possessed such an ability she abandoned her dream of becoming a concert pianist to enrich her daughter’s talent.

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