Tessa is always a star performer, whether she's playing piano, doing gymnastics, or acting, singing, and dancing in musicals. In third grade, Tessa won second place in her school's spelling bee.

Tessa is always a star performer, whether she's playing piano, doing gymnastics, or acting, singing, and dancing in musicals. In third grade, Tessa won second place in her school's spelling bee. She's been "student of the month" three times, and is president of her school's student council. Tessa was diagnosed at age three, and though she has discovered a lot, she's still learning about her diabetes. She has an insulin pump, which makes her life easier, but of course she'd rather be free from the disease altogether. That's why Tessa has raised money for the Walk to Cure Diabetes for six years, spoken in front of 500 people at the JDRF Make a Wish Gala, and become a delegate to encourage Congress to support diabetes research. She points to the fact that Congress's support of diabetes research "could be the difference between having a cure and not having a cure."