Gail Malecki was uprooted from the life she had become accustomed to for the past 17 years, to something new. Malecki spent her whole lifeliving in Colorado, attending Castle View High School.

“We moved just to be closer to family,” said Malecki.

She had to leave the live she knew and spend her final year in a high school making new friends and memories. That’s not what makes Malecki important or different from all the others. She came to Huntley and immediately started to forge her path and tried to get involved.

Castle View High School is a public four year high school that runs on a block schedule. When registering for classes, you pick an academy to join.

There are four academies in Castle View: Engineering and Math (STEM) , Biotech and Health service (BHS) , Leadership and Global communications (LGC) , and Visual and Performing arts (VPA).

Each school, or academy has its own specific course requirements to be able to graduate, separate from those of the school’s required ones.

“It was similar to college in its setup,” said Malecki. “At Castle View, teachers had more flexibility with the curriculum.”

One of the major differences Malecki has seen between Castle View and Huntley, are the way the classes are run.

“Teachers have a lot more flexibility there [Castle View]. I remember in my AP Language class, we never even used the textbook. It was just a reference guide,” said Malecki.

She had four, one hour and a half long, classes a semester. Now at Huntley, she juggles seven classes. “It’s hard not being able to focus on just a few classes,” said Malecki.

Malecki is a high-caliber student that has already been effectively groomed for the college educational experience from the past three years.

She understands how to specialize and succeed when working with a small number of classes geared toward a certain goal. In college, that goal would be your specific major, but in high school, it was the honor of getting Leadership and Global Communications, the academy she was in, written on her diploma.

Malecki applied to the Leadership and Global Communications academy because all her life she wanted to be a part of the law process. She shadowed lawyers and knew at the time law was her goal.

When entering high school, Malecki took an assessment test that doubled as an IQ test; she received a high enough score to be accepted into Mensa. Mensa is the high IQ society. You have to attain a score in an approved intelligence test over the upper 2% of society to be eligible for entrance.

“I see Mensa as just another thing that will help me get to where I want to be” said Malecki

“I want an environment where people take education as seriously as I do,” said Malecki referring to her college search. From law, Malecki’s career aspirations have switched to politics.

“I’m not really sure that’s where my interest lie anymore. I admire those people so much, but I wouldn’t have the patience to sit down for hours and stare at a piece of paper,” said Malecki.

What sets Malecki apart is not the fact she’s going to college, not the fact she’s a high achieving student or knows what she wants to major in. It’s the fact that from a young age, before high school even began, she has been putting the foundation down for her future.

Malecki is already ahead of the pack by knowing her intended path is politics, versus her peers many of whom are unsure of their future professions. Everyone has pipedreams, whether it is becoming different careers, but Malecki’s are more of a simple nature.

“Ultimately, I want to run for a public office,” said Malecki “I just want to be able to serve them [the people] and represent their interest.”