Best Student Activist

Ladies and gentleman, allow us to introduce the next governor of Missouri: Jermaine Reed. He's only seventeen now, but he's already got a good head start. Here's a sampling of his many titles: senior class president at Northeast High, board member for the national Youth Information Network, member of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Youth Advisory Board and the African-American Male Leadership Committee and youngest board member at Move Up (the group formed by the merger of Project Neighborhood and the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime). He appears to have his media skills in shape, too. Every night he can be heard on KPRS 103.3 dishing out positive messages to the community. He cohosts "Voices From Midtown," a weekly talk show on KPRT 1590, with Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Brooks. And he's a regular on 103.3's "Generation Rap" on Saturdays. Next fall, Reed plans to attend Mizzou, and already he's got his eyes on the town a few miles south of Columbia. His goal is to get a job in Jefferson City working for a representative or senator or, "hey, you never know -- the governor."