Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Megan Young

Each week, Marple Newtown Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. This week we highlight Megan Young, a Marple Newtown High School senior, who recently traveled to Japan for her senior project.

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Megan Young

Whiz Kid's Age: 17

Whiz Kid's School:

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: While her peers stayed local and interned at various schools and businesses, shadowing different professionals in numerous industries, Megan decided to buy a plane ticket to Japan. Megan, who wants to teach ESL (English as a Second Language) someday, shadowed her uncle, an English teacher in Tokushima, Japan.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: "I just thought it would be really fun to teach English for my senior project. I have an uncle who teaches English in Japan and I always admired him. He has two sons and one daughter who are half Japanese, who don't really know English," explained Megan about going to Japan.

She continued, "I grew an interest with the culture and language, and I've been learning Japanese on my own so that I could communicate with them."

Though she started off teaching herself Japanese through language books, she soon began taking Japanese classes at the Friend's Central School every Saturday for two years.

During her junior initiative project, Megan shadowed an ESL teacher in the Marple Newtown School District and wanted to try teaching abroad for her senior project. "I thought going to Japan to teach ESL would be a lot more fun."

Her first time to Japan, Megan shadowed her uncle and traveled around Japan for about two weeks.

"I was really nervous changing my flight in San Francisco but once I got to Japan, I wasn't very nervous at all," shared Megan. "It was so much fun. I wanted to use as much Japanese as I could."

Some of her favorite parts of the trip included sitting in on her uncle's English classes while observing him teach as well as helping the students with English. Some of her other favorite moments during her time in Japan included touring the shrines, temples and castles.

What she liked best about the Japanese culture? "There are so many things–I guess, everyone is more polite and courteous and the food is amazing. I like sushi and they have a lot of dishes with egg or beef on top of rice."

A fan of learning languages, Megan has also been taking Spanish since the eighth grade, and has learned a few phrases in a handful of different languages, including Chinese and Arabic (thanks to her step-father, who is from Egypt).

"I have a lot of friends at school who come from foreign countries and speak different languages, and they'll teach me a few words here and there. I just like the way different languages sound–it's almost like music to my ears when I listen to a different language. One of my dreams to learn many languages–Ive always admired those people who can speak eight languages."

This fall, Megan will be studying linguistics and minoring in Japanese at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York. Megan already has her sights on studying abroad–obviously, Japan–and perhaps teaching English in Japan after college.