Alexis Mennis has a light breakfast around 5 a.m. then heads off to the Greek American Rehabilitation & Care Centre in Wheeling, where she works as a certified nursing assistant. After her shift, the Rolling Meadows High School senior goes to a physiology class at Harper College, then wraps up the day practicing with the high school track team.
For Mennis, who aspires to be a surgeon, this is an ordinary day. She's enrolled in Township High School District 214's nationally touted career pathways program, in which all students participate starting in their freshman year. This is also a glimpse into her future. "I've been able to get a jump-start to my career (and get) . . . hands-on experience with patients showing me I could do this for the rest of my life," she says...