Super Kid: Jennifer Nguyen, Meadowdale High School

Q: So Jennifer, why do you think you were picked as a Super Kid?
A: I really have no idea; I'm just an ordinary 17-year-old kid. But it may have had something to do with my interview with the White House.

Q: What did you do to get an interview with someone at the White House?
A: I actually got the interview through my internship at the EdLab Group in Lynnwood. They had me send in my thoughts on what things I'd like to see in a White House-sponsored Web application meant to promote civic education.

Q: What were your thoughts?
A: I just wanted to see more information about the process of running for office and more about the qualities of a good leader. Then I got a call back from someone from the White House on the Council of Women and Girls.

Q: What did you guys talk about?
A: We talked about equality for women in the work environment and in education.

Q: Are you proud of the interview?
A: Yeah. I might actually have another one coming up through the EdLab.

Q: What is EdLab?
A: EdLab Group is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education innovation, especially in STEM. It stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Q: How did you come to intern at EdLab Group?
A: Actually, it's for my senior project. I went in and asked to talk to them about their program. I explained what I wanted to do, and they offered me an internship.

Q: What do you do there?
A: My supervisor has me work in the classroom sometimes, but mostly organize paperwork and input data. Working at EdLab Group has confirmed my passion for computers and technology.

Q: Are you in computer classes at Meadowdale?
A: Yes, I'm in AP computer sciences.

Q: How did you get into computers?
A: Well, my parents moved the family from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, when I was just a few months old. They weren't very tech-savvy when I was growing up. So they relied on me for that sort of stuff: setting up televisions, installing things on the computer; nothing too complicated, but I really liked it.

Q: Do you want to be a computer programmer?
A: Until recently, yes. I switched. Now I want to go into interactive media design. It's like graphic Web design. I enjoy the fact that it's artistic, but technology also plays a big part.

Q: What do you do for fun?
A: I like to hang out with my friends, watch movies and play soccer with my brother.

Q: So you're a techy teen -- iPhone or Android?
A: I have an iPhone.

Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I want to go to the University of Washington Bothell. It has an entire major dedicated to interactive media design.

Christian Zerbel: 425-339-3452; czerbel@heraldnet.com