Senior Whiz Kid Katie Cushma Astonishes All

Katie Cushma has experienced a lot of unique events in her lifetime, including the chance to witness the inauguration of a president, attend a conference of future world leaders in Washington D.C., and participate three times in the National March for Life Education and Defense Fund’s March for Life Rally.

She received the “Life Award” from the foundation, where she spoke at a rally and the Rose Dinner on Capitol Hill, and helped lead a March for Life to the Supreme Court.

The 17-year-old senior at Peters Township High School, and daughter of John and Nancy Cushma, has also been the captain and a starter of the Peters Township Lady Indians basketball team, and has played AAU basketball and powder puff football.

While being involved in a myriad of school-related events, Cushma has made time to contribute herself to community causes. She won the St. Joan of Arc Medallion for Volunteer Service for time served as a volunteer at the Peters Township Public Library, The Washington Hospital and at her own church, St Benedict the Abbott, and took a mission trip to Appalachia, where she helped people there.

In all, she has devoted more than 350 hours as a volunteer, and was recognized last November by Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik at the annual Medallion Ball.

She also works part-time as a sales associate at The Finish Line.

Through it all, Cushma has remained a high honor student at the high school, where she is a member of the National Honor Society, the high honor roll and is taking AP and honors courses.

Cushma has been awarded a full-tuition, four-year scholarship at Gannon University, in which she won by giving an original creative presentation on what she hoped to achieve in life. The presentation she gave projected herself through her career and retirement, supported with a scrapbook illustrating herself 40 years after college graduation.

She will enter Gannon next fall in a five-year, direct entry master’s degree program where she will study Physician Assistant Science.

Cushma took time from her busy schedule to talk with us.

Patch: You’re so involved with sports, being a volunteer, active in community causes, and yet you maintain high honors as a student. How do you balance it all?

Cushma: Now that basketball season is over I sit back and wonder how I did it all, but I’m restless sitting at home. I think it all fell into place because I made the effort to make it work and incorporate everything.

Patch: It must have been quite an experience for you to attend President Obama’s inauguration, and you were there as a Presidential Classroom Inauguration Scholar.

Cushma: It was so neat to be there and feel the energy in a crowd of millions of people. There were kids from every different place with every different viewpoint. It was all of these people there from all over to see a president speak and be inaugurated into his job.

Patch: This experience led to your return to Washington for a Future Leader Summit. What was that like?

Cushma: It was one of the things that had the most impact on me and on my life. We were invited back the next year, and there were kids from about 48 countries. We were all assigned another country and we had to learn about it, and actually be its representatives. It was also so neat to be with these students from all over the world, as they saw places like the Washington Monument. It was so nice to see the things we all take for granted through another person’s eyes.

Patch: Your scholarship from Gannon and the process you went through to get accepted there — it must have been quite a challenge to put all that together.

Cushma: It was based on three parts. Your academic standing, your activities and volunteer work, and finally, the presentation you had to give to three individuals. We had to tell how Gannon would influence our personal and professional life. I created a scrapbook of my life in the year 2056 and what would have happened.

Patch: So after you graduate with this five-year master’s degree as a physician’s assistant, what are you hoping to do?

Cushma: I originally wanted to be an orthodontist, but after attending a health careers program at Pitt, I really decided I wanted to be a physician’s assistant. I’d like to work in cardiology, orthopedics or oncology.

We congratulate Cushma and wish her the best of luck. Do you know of an amazing child or teen? Read how to submit your Whiz Kid nomination .