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If you're stressing about not having enough time or energy to juggle schoolwork and the College application process with your part-time job, family, and friends, you may want to take some advice from Kim Possible, or rather  

CHRISTY CARLSON ROMANO

 , who voices the girl-powered animated series on the Disney Channel.

"This is not a time for you to rest," explains the 20-year-old actress. "You have the advantage of being young and able to stay up and pull All-Nighters." She knows what she's talking about, too. During high school, Christy worked 12-hour days and was homeschooled full time. And, when she decided to explore colleges, she applied to 11.

"I was looking to get into the best college I could find. I'd been so cramped for opportunities [as a homeschooled student], so I knew [my college] would have to have the best of everything -- classes, social dynamic, quality of life ranking, etc.," she says.

Christy chose Columbia University's Barnard College (New York, NY), and continues to work double-time to balance her Career with classes. "I'm pursuing a degree so I can always keep challenging myself to succeed at what I want to do. College is so important," she says.

Equally important is her resume, which lists overlapping roles on "Kim Possible" and "Even Stevens" (she plays the overachiever Ren); a past internship in U.S. Senator Chris Dodd's office; political and social involvement; induction into Sigma Delta Tau; and her most recent stint as Belle in Broadway's "Beauty and the Beast" (through June 2004).

Alas, Christy decided to take some time off from Barnard this past semester. "I've balanced school and professional work all my life," she says. "A lot of people take time off to study abroad, work on internships or both, so this is my internship. Being on Broadway is better than having an internship."

So how did she balance it all? "To be an actress and also do work tests your commitment as a scholar," Christy says. She'd work until 6 p.m., then come home at 7 p.m. to specific tutors for each subject. She even had a separate tutor to help prepare her for the SATs (on which, by the way, she scored "better than average"). "I wanted the personal attention," she admits.

Her extraordinary extracurriculars also help fuel her Ivy league status. She recalls one memorable learning experience -- a leadership conference she attended at American University (Washington, D.C.). "It taught me so many leadership principles," Christy explains. It also helped her realize that even though she loves acting, a pursuit of politics is definitely in her future. For now, however, Christy's content with pushing herself on screen and off, and even attributes her interest in sorority life to her commitment to involvement.

"What caught my attention [about the sisters of Sigma Delta Tau] were their attitudes of ambition," explains Christy. "I am intrigued by strong and independent women."


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Gina LaGuardia is the Editor-in-Chief of The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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