Whiz Kid: Harriton Tennis Star Jennie Shulkin

Editor's note: This is the first installment of a new weekly series in which we will highlight the special accomplishments of neighborhood kids or teenagers.

Each week, we will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams that wow us with theiraccomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as our Whiz Kid.  Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to nathan@patch.com.

This week's Whiz Kid: Jennie Shulkin, Harriton High School senior
- School/Community: Harriton High School; Jennie lives in Gladwyne.
- Accomplishment: Top ranked female tennis player under 18 years old in the Philadelphia area by the United States Tennis Association
- Key to awesomeness: Jennie began playing tennis at age two and a half and has thrown herself into the sport ever since. She has been the number one singles player on the Harriton tennis team since her freshman year, helping the team win the state championship in each of the last four seasons. Strong on the court and in the classroom, Jennie has a 4.94 GPA on a 4.0 scale—made possible through taking difficult honors and AP classes.

Always a competitive tennis player, Jennie won the top ranked girls tennis player in the Philadelphia area in the 10 and under division, and again in the 14 and under division as an 11 year old. She said that winning the honor again felt great, especially considering her battle with a torn labrum in her shoulder over the last two years.

Sometime during her sophomore season, Jennie sustained the shoulder injury and had to drop out of tennis competition completely to have surgery. With rehab taking longer than expected, she said she didn't know if she would ever be able to play again.

A year and a half after the surgery, she was able to return to the court. Her senior season Harriton won the state championship again as a team, and Jennie and her doubles partner Marni Blumenthal won the PIAA Class AA doubles state championship. 

"It's nice to complete the cycle that I started when I was young," she said. "To come back means a lot."

Now, as the USTA's top player in the area, Jennie hopes to continue to play tennis or squash (she's ranked in the top 40 nationally) at a top-ranked college. She doesn't plan on playing professionally, but said she might want to consider going to law school instead.