E-mail a friendJune 1, 2005
Two outstanding members of USA Today's ‘05 All-USA High School Academic Team, Theo Milonopoulos and Rachel Rizal,explain how they discovered their passion. Hip-hop pioneer and actor Heavy D tells why he made a lifestyle change.
Theo Milonopoulos & Rachel Rizal
Theo Milonopoulos & Rachel Rizal
Theo Milonopoulos and Rachel Rizal are two remarkable students named to USA Today's 2005 All-USA High School Academic Team. In addition to academic performance, selection criteria include leadership roles in on/off campus activities. With his twin brother, Milonopoulos founded the lobbying group Kidz Voice-LA for gun-control initiatives. He also organized a rally with the LAPD where 2,000 guns were melted down. Rizal is a student government leader who organized a foreign exchange program with James Ruse High in Sydney, Australia as a model for other international schools. Both students seem destined to make a difference.
Heavy D
Heavy D
Heavy D is respected in the music and acting worlds. A successful crossover artist in hip-hop's early years, he made demos in junior high. With his childhood friends, he formed Heavy D & The Boyz - the first artists signed to Uptown Records. He segued into acting and demonstrated both comedic and dramatic skills in such films as Life and Cider House Rules, the acclaimed play Riff Raff and recurring roles on TV in Living Single and Boston Public. He's set to star in a new stage production, Medal of Honor Rag.