Beachwood Patch Whiz Kid of the Week Shira Barron

 Age: 17

School: Beachwood High School

Accomplishment: One of the many activities she’s involved in is as a volunteer for the Jewish Family Services Association where she leads a discussion with area students about issues that affect them.

Key to Awesomeness: Shira Barron loves those moments when a teenager walks up to her after a show and asks for advice.

She volunteers with an anti-abuse program run through Jewish Family Service Association where young actors put on a play that relates to a situation affecting teens. Shira then leads a discussion afterward about the subject matter.

“Someone won’t be participating the whole time, they’re just quiet in the corner, and then they come up to me and say, ‘I’m in a situation. I never realized I was being abused.’ ”

She said she enjoyed theater when she was younger and jumped at the opportunity to help with the program once she began working with JFSA.

In addition she’s editor-in-chief of the school yearbook. She's also actively involved with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and has already attended three conferences with the lobbying group. In fact, plans to do her senior project by traveling to cities like Chicago where the group will be working.

She’ll be attending University of Michigan in the fall and wants to become a sports agent.