Senior Kristine Spearman is living the life a lot of students her age wish they had: she doesn’t go to school all day long.

Instead of going to school, Spearman chose to be a part of two different academies for her senior year. She is in the health academy in the morning and takes Metro classes some afternoons, taking part in the EMT program.

Spearman started out in both academies, unsure of what she wanted to do. However, through these unique experiences, she was able to narrow it down.

“When I first started the health academy I wanted to be a nurse but then I learned that it would not be a good fit for me,” Spearman said. “So, I went the paramedic/firefighter route and I got to work and talk with a couple of them so that also helped.”

Because she is younger than most seniors, and will not turn 18 until August, Spearman decided to push pause on the EMT academy. However, she will not let her age stop her from pursuing this career.

“I plan on taking my EMT classes in the fall and then start working,” Spearman said. “Later I’ll go back for my paramedic and firefighter but I have to start with EMT so I’m just going to do that for now.”

Although Spearman did decide against nursing, she still enjoys being a part of the Health Academy.

“My favorite part about the health academy is rotations and being able to go out and see all the different floors and help out with the patients in the hospital,” Spearman said.

With the help of unique opportunities, Spearman is able to pursue her passion of helping others, and she has an even added bonus of avoiding some of those boring high school classes that so many students dread.