Born abroad, US student has great possibilities

Isaac Mackzum has an interesting past and is looking at a no less interesting future.

Isaac Mackzum has an interesting past and is looking at a no less interesting future. "I'm an American citizen," he said, "who didn't actually live here till I was 9. I was born in Saudi Arabia, and moved to Dubai. The longest plane ride I've taken was 18 hours. For college, I would like to get a degree in classical music and perhaps become a pilot.  Of course, there's still the dream of being a pulmonologist or even a veterinarian."

School: St. Rose of Lima Catholic School

Name: Issac Mackzum

Age: 12

Grade: 7

Accomplishments: Incoming President of the Junior National Beta Club, took first place in Knight's of Columbus Essay Contest, Duke TIP Participant, plays first Chair Trumpet in Advanced Band.

Favorite class: "Literature is my favorite class because I love writing. Twisting words into art is fun."

Favorite things to do after class: "After class, I like to play piano and read."

Favorite book: "The best book series I've ever read is 'The Kane Chronicles.' The Egyptian Mythology and organized plot lines kept me reading for days."

Favorite website: "I appreciate Google because I can explore new ideas and concepts."

Favorite song: "My favorite composer is Chopin. That's for piano. For trumpet music, I like to play Handel's Alleluia Chorus from The Messiah. I get my love of music from my Grandmothers."

Favorite TV show: "Survivor and Amazing Race. If I could be on one, it would be Amazing Race with my sister, Alexandria.  We compliment each other and fill in each other's gaps of knowledge."
 
Ambition: "I hope to learn 30 languages before I die including Japanese, Eastern Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish. My grandmother helps with Japanese, and my dad with the Portuguese.  I work on Spanish at school. Next year I get to take some Latin."