Lilian Caldwell has been working toward a 4.0 GPA since her freshman year. Not because someone told her to, but because she wanted the academic excellence award when she graduated, and she knew what it would take to get there.

So, near the beginning of senior year, when her counselor mentioned that she might be on track for Illinois State Scholar recognition, it landed differently than it does for students who never saw it coming. Lilian had been putting in the work. She just wasn't entirely sure what the designation meant.

"I've heard about it, but I didn't, like, research it," she says. When Mr. Matthews explained it as the top ten percent of seniors in the state, she got it fast. "He said it was a big accomplishment, and only ten people got it this year. So I was excited."

What comes next for Lilian, though, doesn't follow the most traditional path out of a distinction like that,  and she's completely at peace with that.

"I'm doing an online program to be a medical assistant," she says. "Hopefully I'll have a job in there."

The idea started with a presenter who came through the school and talked about the field. She didn't know what a medical assistant was. So she went and found out by researching programs, weighing options, and looking for something accredited that could work around her daily school schedule. She landed on the U.S. Career Institute, an online program that sends lessons, videos, and hands-on equipment straight to her.

"They sent me a blood pressure cuff," she says. "So I've been learning that…and a stethoscope." Her mom, who is currently finishing her LPN certification, has been helping her practice at home, which makes the learning feel even more tangible.

Before she decided to do this program, she considered real estate. She'd talked with Linda Doyle, a local realtor who had shown her family houses for years, and had some real conversations about what the real estate world looked like, but something didn't click.

"I just don't know if that's right for me," she says.

Healthcare felt different… More stable, more clearly hers.

"It's reliable," she says. "Something that I can get done and then get working."

She also has a very clear sense of where she fits within the field. Patient intake, vitals, front office work, that’s the kind of role where she's useful and present without crossing into territory that doesn't suit her.

"I'm afraid of needles and blood," she admits, laughing. "I literally pass out when I get shots."

So phlebotomy is off the table. Medical assisting is very much on it.

Her family has helped her find her direction. Her mom is in nursing. Her sister does X-ray work at the hospital. Healthcare has been part of the conversation at home for a while. Her dad's experience managing rental properties has also stayed in the back of her mind. She and her family have talked about how real estate investment might complement whatever she builds in healthcare. Multiple streams. A practical approach.

Volleyball has run alongside all of it. She's played her whole life. She narrowed athletics to just that sport once high school started because basketball and track were eating up too much time. "I was more focused on school," she says simply. Having a different coach every year was its own kind of challenge, but her senior year coach, Ms. Mynatt, made a real impression. "She's very inspiring. She's gone through things and told us about it, and it really was inspiring."

Then there's Coach B, her freshman year volleyball coach, who doesn't coach anymore but still works in the school office. "She's my favorite," Lilian says. "I just mess with her. It's fun that she works in the office because I see her every day."

Among her classroom teachers, Ms. Wienke stands out. She teaches family and consumer science, interior design, and culinary classes. "She was more of a fun teacher. She's funny." Her trig teacher, Ms. Jennings,  has also been reliably helpful when Lilian needs it.

When she talks about what drives her, she comes back to a simple idea: she doesn't want to wait around for her life to begin. The medical assistant program is already underway. The credential is within reach. The plan is in motion.

She's not waiting for a later chapter to start building.

She's already building.