Kay Panabaker

Stephanie Kay Panabaker (born May 2, 1990), better known as Kay Panabaker, is an American zoologist and former actress. She is the younger sister of actress Danielle Panabaker.

Early years
Panabaker was born in Orange, Texas to Donna Panabaker and Harold Panabaker. Her older sister Danielle Panabaker is also an actress. She started acting at various community theatres in Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Atlanta, Georgia. In Naperville, Illinois, Kay attended Crone Middle School for sixth grade, and moved to Los Angeles, California at the start of seventh grade.

In between projects, Kay focuses on her academics. She graduated from high school as valedictorian when she was 13 years old and received her Associate's Degree at age 15. Kay received two academic scholarships from Glendale Community College, where she attended, studied acting, and where she was on the Dean's list, graduating with honors. She was accepted to UCLA as a junior history major when she was 15 and completed her BA in History from UCLA before she turned 18.

Kay was inspired by an elementary school teacher who made learning exciting, and she wants to do the same for others, hoping to teach 4th or 5th grade once she finishes her teaching degree.

Career
Panabaker has guest-starred in several television dramas and soap operas. She portrayed "Alice Brand" in 7th Heaven; "Melissa Rue" in ER; "Sara" in Port Charles; "Carrie Bauer" in The Brothers García; "Ellisha" in Medium; "Lindsey Willows" in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; to name a few. In film, she appeared in Dead Heat as "Sam LaRoche"; and did some voice work in the Disney/Pixar film, Monsters, Inc.. Panabaker's breakout role came when she starred in The WB's Summerland as "Nikki Westerly", in the 2004-2005 season. She also appeared as "George" in the 2007 Nancy Drew: The Mystery in Hollywood Hills alongside Emma Roberts and Amy Bruckner.

Panabaker had a recurring role in Phil of the Future as straight-laced Debbie Berwick, a friend of, and foil to, Pim Diffy (played by Amy Bruckner). She starred in Life Is Ruff as "Emily Watson" alongside Kyle Massey and Mitchel Musso. In July 2006 she starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Read It and Weep (based on the book How My Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller), in which her sister Danielle Panabaker also stars. In 2006, Panabaker was in the first ever Disney Channel Games, on the Red Team, with Zac Efron, Anneliese van der Pol, Moises Arias, Dylan Sprouse, and Shin Koyamada as part of the Disney Channel's So Hot Summer!. Her last movie was the Lifetime Television movie Custody which aired in September 2007. She also starred in Happy Campers, an ABC Family pilot. Her other movies include Moondance Alexander and The Prince and the Pauper with Dylan and Cole Sprouse. Panabaker starred in the remake of Fame as Jenny, an actress; the film was released in theaters on September 25, 2009. She also played the teenage Kitty Walker on Brothers and Sisters.

Panabaker stared in the ABC sci-fi drama series No Ordinary Family, which aired ran for a single season ending in 2011 after 20 episodes. In 2011, Panabaker played Samantha Caldone in the ABC Family movie Cyberbully. After playing Rosa in Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta in 2012, Panabaker retired from acting. She eventually went on to study zoology at UCLA. As of 2016, she now works as an animal keeper at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Awards and honors
Panabaker previously held a Seat on the National Board of the Coalition for Quality Children's Media. As of 2020, this was no longer the case. [12]https://www.kidsfirst.org/about-us/Board_Staff.html