When 17-year-old Carrie Griffin took her first steps five years ago, it showed her that with determination she could accomplish anything.
Last month the Pasadena resident learned that her determination -- and her story about leaving her wheelchair -- had let her take another kind of step. She was one of 19 students in the country chosen to travel to Los Angeles to produce a national news broadcast for teens.
Carrie, a senior at Archbishop Spalding High School, will write and edit scripts for the third annual "Student Produced Week," sponsored by Channel One News, a national in-classroom television news network.
The show will be broadcast to 8 million students at 12,000 schools across the nation.
"I'm really excited," she said. "This will be my first time going to the West Coast and doing something like this."
Nearly 2,000 students competed for the honor. It was Carrie's answer to a question about her most memorable experience that helped her win the trip.
Carrie was born with Larsen Syndrome, an orthopedic disease of which there are only 15 known cases. The disease affects muscle tissues and joints and can cause breathing complications.
Doctors said Carrie would never walk.
She was confined to a wheelchair until the seventh grade, when she took her first steps with the help of canes. The next year, she no longer needed the canes and has used leg braces ever since.
"I truly felt as if I could do anything," she wrote in her application. "In many ways, I have captured the power and strength and converted it into other acts of optimism."
The contest victory surprised Carrie, but Spalding media specialist Janet DiStasio thought she would be among the top contenders after seeing her video presentation.
But Carrie stood out more than her video, said Gianna Howard, coordinator of talent and media relations for Channel One Studios.
"She's an incredible writer. . . . Her work is strong and solid," Ms. Howard said. "You can't overlook someone who has the writing skills she has."
Carrie said she wrote and mailed her entry at the last possible minute.
"That tells you how good of a writer she is," said her newspaper journalism teacher, Gregory Wise. He described Carrie as a "bright, vivacious, gifted" person with a lot of "energy and spark."
Carrie is ranked No. 1 in her class and has earned credits toward a business management certificate at Anne Arundel Community College.
"Carrie is a wonderful human being. She gets all these honors and they're all well-deserved," said Spalding Vice Principal Donna DiGennaro. "She's a teacher's dream."
Peter and Charlene Griffin, Carrie's parents, are proud of their only child. They did not expect her to win because they thought applicants from other schools would have more exposure to the media.
"The accomplishments she's made over the years are amazing," her father said. "We are so proud and happy for her."
Carrie first gave journalism a try while attending George Fox Middle School, where she became school newspaper editor.
She now writes for the Spalding Production Team, producers of the school's television program, "Spalding AM," headed by Ms. DiStasio. She also writes and edits for her school newspaper, the Spectator.
Despite her accomplishments in journalism, Carrie won't major in it when she goes to college next year. Instead, she hopes to study medical research, perhaps at Princeton. But there's a chance. "I like it [journalism] and might decide later to pursue it in college," said Carrie. "[Medical research] is something I might just play around with."