17-year-old Rhea Bean.

"A lot of youth make excuses for not doing anything,'' says Rhea. "I go and sit on a wall occasionally, but there are a lot of other things -- such as sports -- that the youth can do.'' The former Warwick Academy student was actively involved in school and community activities during her high school years.

She was head of the orchestra, a prefect, and a house captain. She was also involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

Rhea describes herself as athletic, shy (at times), and studious.

The active teen loves soccer, basketball, and bowling. She bowls in a Saturday league team and recently returned from a bowling tournament in Ohio.

"I like bowling because it is very competitive, it's a mental game,'' Rhea said. "I also get to meet people and it's something for teenagers to do.'' The talented teen said she believed that contributing to young people's problems was the fact that "half of them don't work so they don't have money to do anything''.

Rhea worked at Headway Hair Centre in Washington Mall during the summer. And she plans to enter Saltus Grammar School's post graduate year next month.

Asked how she was able to accomplish so much in a short time, Rhea stressed that she believed that the key to success was hard work and determination to meet one's goals.

One of Rhea's goals is to have a career in the medical field.

She became interested in becoming a physiotherapist after being treated for an injury sustained in a skiing accident on a school trip to Vermont in December.

When asked what she thought about the changes in education, Rhea said she could not see why education officials had to change the whole system.

"I did not think there needed to be a change,'' she said. "They should have put more money into what was there and upgraded the systems.

"Now they have problems, such as the Dellwood parents who don't want their children to go to Northlands, and the idea of putting all those high school children in one school will cause security problems.'' Rhea said her goal in life was to be established and comfortable in the world and to have her children say "she was a successful woman and she did not let anyone stop her''.

She also said she would enjoy taking a trip to somewhere that was out of the way -- like Africa, to see how the people really live.

"You see all these things on television and in books, but reality hits you if you actually travel to these places,'' she added. "Then you can understand what they are going through which helps you realise how fortunate you are.

"In this day in age you can't take anything for granted.'' Rhea said if she could meet anyone it would be God. "I'd like to know how he feels looking on the world,'' she said, "because he wanted to make a perfect place and it has just gone haywire.'' INTERVIEW BY KRISTY WARREN RHEA BEAN