The kids on this list will blow your mind.
They're only 17 or 18 years old, but most of them have already accomplished more than many of us do in our entire lives.
This list includes kids who are graduating from high schools around the country and heading down some amazing paths; some to top-tier schools like Harvard and MIT, some to tech start-ups, and others to incredible futures in the arts.
There's a young scientist who's well on her way to curing cancer, a blogger who's unnerving Apple by finding out its secrets, and a ballerina who's determined to break down race barriers in the arts, just to name a few.
These kids will change the world--some of them already have. They're listed here in alphabetical order.
David Boone overcame homelessness and got a full scholarship to Harvard
High School: MC2STEM High School, Cleveland, OH
Why He's Impressive: Boone overcame difficult obstacles--he found himself homeless after gang members burned down his home for not joining their gang--to become a remarkable scholar who will attend Harvard.
"Being homeless was a very challenging time in my life, but was probably the most productive as well," Boone wrote to us in an email. "During this time I was able to make some observations about myself, learn some life lessons, strengthen my faith and grow into adulthood."
Boone recounted the first night he spent outside, when none of his friends or family members answered his phone calls while looking for a place to stay. He said that he felt afraid and alone, but it was his faith in God that got him through that difficult night--which was not his last night outside.
During this time, he devoted himself to his studies. He spent hours studying in school and in an extracurricular program to which he credits much of his success: Minds Matter, whose mission is to help high-achieving high school students from low income families achieve college and academic success.
"Minds Matter has been excellent," Boone said. "I mean this with all the sincerity possible; I would not be going to Harvard if it weren't for MM. Minds Matter for me has fostered an environment that was not only comfortable, but productive in the sense that when I did something well, they didn't spend an eternity celebrating it because the people there truly believed that I could do better. I gained so much confidence in my academic capabilities. MM helped me to keep strong when I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders and my mentors in particular, gave me something to believe in."
With the help of his teachers at school, his mentors at Minds Matter and his family members, David worked diligently and was accepted to Harvard University. He received a full scholarship to college from the Gates Millennium Scholarship and the Ron Brown Scholarship. He admits that when he found out that he received the scholarships he did an "embarrassing dance" because he was so elated.
Boone is looking forward to the challenge that studying at Harvard will present.
"I plan to study engineering in college because engineering is a field where there is always a new challenge and there is no ultimate accomplishment because you are trained to constantly improve," Boone said. "I believe that engineers are the key to solving the worlds most pressing issues, both technological and social. The way that engineers think leaves the door open to immeasurable possibilities and that is very important to the progression of society."
"I truly believe that I can change the world and I will not consider myself a success until I do," Boone added.
Plans for Next Year: Boone is planning to attend Harvard in the fall--on a full Gates Millenial Scholarship. He plans to major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Shree Bose created a drug that may help cure cancer
High School: Fort Worth Country Day, Fort Worth, TX
Why She's Impressive: Bose has a large circle of friends, and there's one in particular who you may have heard of: President Obama. The Commander in Chief has twice publicly recognized her achievements in cancer research and spoken with her in the Oval Office.
If that isn't enough, Bose recently gave a TED Talk about her work with the cancer drug Cisplatin, which also won her first prize at the Google Science Fair and recognition as one of Glamour magazine's Young Amazing Women of the Year.
After watching her grandfather struggle with liver cancer, Bose was determined to help out in any way she could. As a high school student though, her scientific options were limited. She reached out to various hospitals and research facilities, but doctors turned down her requests because they felt she was too inexperienced medically.
The North Texas Science Health Center had no such reservations. Instead, they esteemed her determination and chose to mentor her. The results were exceptional.
Bose chose to study the protein AMP kinase and its reaction with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin. She noticed that when she inhibited this protein, cisplatin was allowed to begin destroying cancer cells once again.
"My project not only contributes to the understanding of cancer drug resistance in knowing that AMPK is involved, but also proposes a newer, more effective, treatment regime for patients who have become resistant to cisplatin," Bose said. "For the over 240,000 patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer, this research will hopefully be able to reduce the recurrence rates in patients treated with particular chemotherapy drugs in the future."
Bose's accomplishments aren't limited to the lab, though. She was also captain of her swim team and editor-in-chief of her school paper.
Plans for Next Year: Bose is currently interning at The National Institute of Health and she'll be attending Harvard in the fall. She plans to study molecular biology and go to medical school. Eventually, she would like to be a physician.
Sitan Chen won third prize in the Siemens Competition for his math project on grid graphs
High School: Northview High School, Duluth, GA
Why He's Impressive: Chen won third prize--$40,000--in the 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology for his research that could advance how computers multi-task data. His project is called On the Rank Number of Grid Graphs.
"I studied grid graphs, a special class of graphs closely linked to circuit design, and found formulas for the previously unknown rank numbers of grid graphs," Chen wrote to us. "These results shed light not just on how to design smaller, more cost-effective circuits, but also on how to optimize searching for data corruptions in computers, assembling complex products like automobiles in factories, and solving problems like climate analysis, medical imaging, and oil exploration using parallel computing."
He's also a talented pianist and violinist, who has played at Carnegie Hall 6 times. Chen said that he sees music as "a form of problem solving."
"It's a chance to tackle challenges related to technique, structure, and interpretation using creativity and intellectual rigor, and at the same time, it's a way to communicate what words cannot," he said.
Plans for Next Year: Chen plans to attend Harvard in the fall, where he will study mathematics and economics.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.