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Notable Achievements at Age 12
Joined The All New Mickey Mouse Club
Cast member (Mouseketeer) from 1993–1995; met future collaborators Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez, Ryan Gosling.
Selected for The All New Mickey Mouse Club
After auditioning against thousands, was chosen as a 'Mouseketeer' and joined the show's 1993 cast; moved to Orlando for the program.
Emigrated to United States (Allegheny/Pittsburgh)
Carnegie and his family emigrated from Scotland and settled in Allegheny (now part of Pittsburgh), seeking work and better prospects.
Begins posting YouTube performance videos
His mother Pattie Mallette posted videos of him singing covers; the clips attracted a growing online following.
Debut as drummer at Radio City Music Hall
Filled in as a drummer for his father's band and debuted as a performer at Radio City Music Hall at age 12.
'I Want You Back' hits #1 on Billboard Hot 100
Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' became their first No.1 single in the US, staying at #1 for four weeks.
Death of father John Marshall Clemens
Father died of pneumonia; family financial strain followed.
Immigrated to Canada with family
Zhao and his family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Mother's death
Frazier's mother, Clara Elizabeth Frazier, dies; he is raised thereafter primarily by his father.
Left formal school; self-educated
Attended formal school only sporadically; mother taught him basics and he became largely self-taught through reading.
Won WSK Champions Cup, South Garda Winter Cup, ROK Cup Int. Final (Mini)
Multiple international karting victories in the Mini category, consolidating reputation.
Joins YouTube (channel activity begins)
Joined YouTube (account activity dated 1 Oct 2007); began posting singing content on the platform.
Places 2nd in local singing competition
At age 12 he performed Ne-Yo's 'So Sick' in a local Stratford contest and placed second; his mother uploaded the video to YouTube.
Moved to San Francisco to join Cynthia Kenyon's lab (UCSF)
At 12 she joined Cynthia Kenyon's lab at the University of California, San Francisco, beginning hands-on research in aging biology.
Homeschooled childhood — self-taught advanced subjects
Grew up homeschooled in New Zealand; taught herself calculus, probability & statistics, French literature and history.
TV appearances: Knights of the South Bronx, ER, Second Time Around
Featured in multiple TV projects and continued building screen credits.
Started coding with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
Began exploring programming via Microsoft PowerPoint automation and Visual Basic for Applications; bought bootleg technical books and practiced macros and coordinates-based animation.
💡 What this means for you
At age 12, you're at a pivotal point where many successful entrepreneurs made their breakthrough. Whether you're building your first company or scaling an existing one, these examples show what's possible with focus and execution.
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