The summer before her last year of high school, junior Aniston Poage got her certified nursing assistant license through Fort Scott Community College.

Shes plans to graduate a year early from the high school and attend FSCC to further advance in the medical field.

“All my friends graduated and I plan to be a neurologist, which is 12 or more years of schooling, so I want to get ahead,” Poage said.

She’s wanted to be a neurologist since her freshmen year. Poage said she is very interested in learning about how brain disorders and diseases affect people and their family members.

“Freshman year I kind of stumbled upon the subject of neurology because it’s such a serious issue that really interests me,” she said.

Poage said she will miss football, baseball games, being a manager for wrestling and being a member of the journalism staff.

“The thought of leaving doesn’t scare me at all,” she said. “I’m just ready to get out of Paola and meet new people.”