Possibly the youngest paid reporter in the United States, 9-year-old Teddy Andrews writes for the Berkeley Voice and for the national news service, Children's Express. Teddy reads and writes Chinese, Japanese and Korean and is studying paleontology, geometry, physics, Chinese and advanced algebra.
In breaks from his studies, he's served in public office, as Berkeley Youth Commissioner, a post which was largely honorary until Teddy got the job. Working seriously at it, he became a voice for youth and is committed to helping homeless and needy children. He went to Washington, DC for an affordable-housing march and helped to emcee the children's part of the action. While he was there, he lobbied US senators on behalf of homeless kids. Back in California, he organized kids to wrap holiday gifts. Teddy is also a weekly volunteer in the Berkeley office of the state Democratic party, helping out on the computer and with whatever else is needed.
Asked why he is so different from most 9-year-olds, Teddy Andrews doesn't seem to think that he is. When he has a little spare time, he likes to read dinosaur books and play with Legos.