She's the Girl on the Red Scooter

Editor’s note: Whiz Kid is a new weekly feature where Patch highlights a local kid who makes this community great in his or her own unique way. If you know a child you’d like to nominate for Whiz Kid, send me an e-mail at paige.austin@patch.com.

Name: Miranda Casanova

Age: 17

School: Junior at Los Alamitos High School

Family: Parents and little brother Ulises

Interests and Hobbies: “I love Lady Gaga. I can just listen to her all day, every day. I also like hanging out with my friends and having a good time.

"I am in the process of writing a book about my condition and life. It’s a memoir. I have a condition called cerebral palsy. I can walk but not without a walker or something to support me.”

It was Miranda’s sophomore year English teacher Ms. O’Brien who encouraged her to write the book.

“That’s who the book is dedicated to because, without her, I don’t think I would be writing it. The book is about my stories and what I have been through, including bullying. When I was younger, I was made fun of, especially in 7th and 8th grade. But then I moved to Seal Beach and got a fresh start in high school.

“Now I understand who I am as a person. Yes, I am loved, but there are some people who don’t feel that way about me, and that doesn’t bother me. I am so, so very blessed to have the family that I have. They all support me in everything that I have done. I am sarcastic, and blunt, and honest, and it doesn’t bother them.

“For example, one night, I went out with my aunt and mom to look at Christmas lights and there was this boy who was about nine-years-old, and he wouldn’t stop staring at me. I waived and said ‘Hello,’ but he wouldn’t stop staring, so I said, 'Take a picture. It will last longer,’ and my aunt just laughed and laughed. My family doesn’t mind that I am so open and blunt. That’s where I get my confidence.

“The book is called, The Girl on the Red Scooter because that’s how I get around at school – on my scooter, which is red. That is the first thing people see about me. They look at it and it arouses curiosity, and they say, ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but what is wrong with you?’

“I would rather people come up to me and ask rather than have preconceived ideas about me and what I have.”

Greatest Challenge: “Just realizing that people can be mean. They are not always nice, and you have to take what certain people say with a grain of salt. Don’t judge anyone, but don’t trust everyone either. I trust myself and my convictions. It’s important to just let go of the mean things that people say.”

What do you want to be when you grow up? “I want to be a motivational speaker. I have actually done a lot of speaking at my high school about my condition. I am real outspoken, and I choose to use my condition positively rather than as a hindrance.”

What is something that most people don’t know about you? “Most of my friends and family think I am real confident. They say that I have a good handle on things and that I am strong, but I want people to know that I wake up in the morning, and I look in the mirror, and I have insecurities. I have low points. There are mornings where I don’t want to get out of bed and go to school, but I pick myself up and keep going because that’s what you have to do.

“I want people to know that when you go through stuff and have a low point, it gets better. You have to keep your head up and sit up straight and remember that you are the most valuable thing you have, and no one can take that away from you.”