As most ninth-graders are planning their next trip to the mall, Madison is angling for the next big scoop. The 13-year-old is a student at D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts and a reporter for the Scholastic Kids Press Corps, found at scholastic.com/kidspress.

You’ve interviewed some of D.C.’s most powerful people. Any favorites?
One of my recent favorites was U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. That was a big deal because I go to a D.C. public school and I was able to talk to him about a lot of issues that my school faces. And I even got in a question about playing basketball.