Advertise
With Us

Click here to request more information.
OC Family reaches:

• Active & educated parents
• Growing families
• And more...

FEATURE

Spotlight: Shining Student Catching up with Class of 2009’s Mariam El Hasan By Tamirra StewartPublished: April, 2010

Print This Article Email This Article RSS Subscribe

How much can one person pack into one year? If you’re Mariam El Hasan, you’ve attended a bunch of movie premieres, interviewed celebrities including Reese Witherspoon and Jackie Chan and become president of your 7th grade class at Aliso Viejo Middle School where your favorite classes are English and ASB. Whew! Mariam was named one of OC Family’s 2009 Shining Students and it’s not like we expected her to slow down. So, what has been up to for the last year? Despite having no personal umbrella holder to assist her on the red (and orange!) carpet at movie premieres, Mariam handles celebrity interviews like the present-day pro she is. Mariam does more than ask for autographs and take photos for her Facebook page. At the premiere for “Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” she interviewed Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Simon Pegg. One week after going on the media junket for “Monsters vs. Aliens,” where she interviewed Will Arnet, she met Amy Poehler. Basima El Hasan, Mariam’s mom, says that “Poehler lit up when Mariam told her about meeting her husband.” Mariam has also interviewed the all-important folks behind the silver screen such as Randy Martinez, an illustrator for a little movie call “Star Wars.” At the end of the interview, he gave Mariam a sketch of Darth Vader. Although she’s interviewed as many stars as there are in the night sky, “she remains very diplomatic and can’t name a favorite star,” says Basima. An avid reader, Mariam is eagerly awaiting the third installment of the Hunger Games books, which are her favorite. But when Mariam isn’t being a future journalist she’s just a normal kid who likes going to the mall, seeing movies and rooting for the Anaheim Angels. And watching the “Today Show” before school. “She’s been having a lot of fun,” says Basima. We know there are so many exceptional kids doing amazing things and WE want to hear about them for our 2010 OC Family's Shining Students issue. Click here to submit your nomination by April 12.

SEARCH THE SITE