The robot waits at "home base" on the competition table, its sensors ready to interpret the code that seventh-grader Isabella Medrano and her teammates have meticulously programmed. With the press of a button, the machine springs to life, navigating the course with precision that reflects hours of careful coding.

"It's like you figured out how it works," Isabella explains, her eyes lighting up. "If I put it here, it'll go and do all these missions and fill up the whole board. When you get everything just perfect..." she trails off, the satisfaction evident in her smile.

This sense of accomplishment—directing something to perform exactly as intended—is what draws Isabella to STEM, one of her favorite subjects at Momence Junior High. Unlike traditional classes where students might sit at desks taking notes, STEM offers hands-on experiences that appeal to her creative nature.

"I like STEM because it's more hands-on," she says. "You can code and 3D print. It's not all sitting at a desk and writing down stuff."

As part of the robotics team, Isabella competes against other schools, programming robots to complete missions on a board. She's learned that precision matters—even a slight misalignment can throw off the robot's path—though some self-correction is built into the system.

But robotics represents just one facet of Isabella's varied interests. On the soccer field, where she's played since age five or six, she moves with the same purposeful energy that guides her robots, splitting her time between midfield and defense positions.

"I stopped this year," she notes, "but my plan is to start up again in the summer."

When not coding robots or defending the goal, Isabella can be found in art class, where she's currently working on paintings and pinch pots—clay creations that allow her to shape something tangible with her hands.

This blend of technical and artistic pursuits points toward Isabella's vision for her future: a career in cosmetology.

"I want to go into cosmetology," she states confidently. "I like doing hair and makeup. It's just more creative and fun."

Yet Isabella's ambitions extend beyond simply practicing the craft—she aspires to ownership. "I want to own my own salon," she reveals, displaying an entrepreneurial mindset uncommon among seventh graders. When asked what she'd do with her earnings, her answer reflects remarkable foresight: "Probably help with college funds and just invest it and save it."

The path from coding robots to styling hair might seem unexpected, but the connection becomes clear through Isabella's perspective. Both require precision, creativity, and attention to detail. Both transform something from one state to another through careful intervention. And both, when done well, create something that works exactly as intended.

As she navigates the hallways of Momence Junior High—a transition that once seemed daunting but now feels routine—Isabella appreciates the close-knit environment that nurtures her diverse interests.

"I love that it's a small community," she says. "Once you get to know someone, it's like you know the whole town. It's not like there's a bunch of people and you're just a stranger. There's just a bunch of people your age and you can hang out with everybody."

This sense of belonging provides the perfect foundation for Isabella to explore everything from robotics to art to sports, with each experience building skills that will serve her future goals.

While the name of her future salon remains undecided—"That'll be the fun part," she acknowledges—Isabella Medrano is already programming her path forward with the same precision she brings to her robots, creating a code for success that bridges technology and creativity in unexpected and promising ways.