Julie Baron, 17

Julie is a lot of things: A high-schooler, a college student, an actress, a baby-sitter and a cook.

"Julie is an incredible asset to our home," wrote her dad, Jeff Baron. "She has two younger siblings whom she helps tutor in our home-school program."

Her dad said that Julie is a junior in high school but also earns dual credits as a full-time student at Pikes Peak Community College — "And getting straight A's."

She shares her culinary talent with her family: "She loves to cook, and often makes gourmet meals," her dad said, "especially on weekends."

Julie enjoys baby-sitting her nephews and niece, but she wanted to ensure they were safe under her watch. She took a Red Cross baby-sitting class so she could become certified in CPR.

"She helps with many home activities, such as doing the family laundry," her dad said.

She also acts in local drama programs. She's appeared in "Anne of Green Gables," Shakespeare productions and "The Sound of Music." She has won two spelling bees and writing contests.

One last thing dad wanted us to know:

"And she's cute."

Q&A with Julie

What's it like splitting up your high school and college studies between home-school and Pikes Peak Community College?
"I just love the challenge, because I was doing our regular home-school curriculum for the first two years of high school and kind of getting bored where we were. So when I found out that I could do classes at Pikes Peak, I was thrilled because I could get done with school faster."

She wants to go to a four-year university and wanted to get some basic courses out of the way as fast as possible.


What are your future plans for a career or college major?
"Theater and English are my two major interests. I'm not sure how far I'm going to go with theater; I'm still exploring options and trying to figure out what I can get involved with. And I love writing, so I'd like to look into getting something published."

She's working on a novel now that's almost finished. "It's a fantasy, but it doesn't have a lot of mythical characters; it's mostly just in a different world ... it's about man who discovers there's more than he knew ... he discovers he's royalty from another country."
The man embarks on a journey to save his country, Julie said, where he faces the threat of a wizard and an inner battle with revenge and forgiveness.

Your dad said you love to cook. What's your specialty dish?
"I'm not sure I have one. I've been working with — since we discovered we have allergies to wheat and dairy — I've been working to try alternatives that are gluten free."

Do you have any theater projects in your near future?
"I want to audition for 'Pride and Prejudice' that our church is putting on."

The auditions are in April, Julie said. Her church is Forest Gate Presbyterian.

What's your favorite role you've played onstage?
"I was in 'A Midsummer's Night Dream', and I played Titania, and that's probably the most fun role I've played so far."

Siblings
Three sisters and two brothers