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Alumni Spotlight: Lillian George

Posted by Whitney Dotson on Jan 17, 2019 1:30:00 PM

We asked Lillian George (2012) to tell us her story after graduation. Read on to see where she is now, and how she got there!

IMG_2937What are you up to these days?

I am currently living in Saint Paul, MN with my brother (Alex George ‘09) and sister-in-law, Jessa, and am working at the University of Minnesota in the Lindahl Academic Center for student-athletes.  I am a Coordinator of Learning Services Intern and assist with tutor coordination, academic advising, and work as a learning specialist with a caseload of student-athletes, most of whom are from the men’s basketball team. This photo is of me with the Paul Bunyan Axe... sorry Bucky, but Goldy signs the paychecks.

What lead you to where you are today?

I attended Carthage College in Kenosha, WI from 2012-2018 where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience with a minor in Biology in 2016 and my Master of Education in Higher Education in 2018.  While at Carthage, I was a high jumper for the women’s track and field team for four years.  Throughout high school and college, I thought that I would be going into the medical field and had aspirations of becoming either a dentist or a sports medicine doctor.  While I absolutely loved my major, as I was approaching the end of my senior year of college, I did not know what I wanted to do.  The medical field still interested me, but I did not know what I wanted to pursue, where I wanted to pursue it, or how I was going to pay for it. I also then realized that I liked the rhythm of the academic calendar and the “off-season” that summer brings. Additionally, to my relief, my head coach began to ask me what my plans were and it was through our conversations that she offered me the graduate assistant coaching position for the women’s track and field team and therefore the opportunity to complete my master’s degree. This allowed me to earn my master’s for free and receive a living-expenses stipend.

It was during this time as a graduate assistant coach that I realized that college coaching was not for me, but that I did enjoy working with college students, especially athletes.  I also was enjoying my classes and knew that I wanted to stay in the education realm.  After some thought and deliberation, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to get into academic advising and during my final semester of graduate school, I applied to any and all advising and student success positions throughout the United States.  Finally, in early August, I accepted the position at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Being in different leadership positions throughout high school and college helped me to develop the leadership skills that have led me to where I am today.  In high school, I was a LIFT leader, a three-year member of Student Government, a two-sport athlete, and a member of the “prestigious” Math-Science team that wore coordinated outfits to competitions.  In college, I was a four-year member of the track and field team, a four-year member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and on the executive board my senior year, a member of Beta Beta Beta (Biology Honors Society), and Chi Omega Fraternity.  I was also nominated by faculty members to become a certified success coach through the Character Quest program at Carthage College.  Those opportunities taught me to be able to work cooperatively with others from diverse backgrounds and how to motivate and listen to the needs of others.

What are some practices in your time at Lake Country Lutheran that have prepared you for what you are currently doing?

 College Writing with Mrs. Baganz my senior year really prepared me for college and for my current job, despite the fact that I hated the assignments at the time. Not only knowing how to write, but how to write well, is very important.  There were many times during my freshman year of college that my professors would thank me for using correct grammar and sentence structure, and for being able to construct a paper properly so that they only had to read it for content, not for corrections.  The knowledge I gained in College Writing also helped me a lot when it came time to write my undergraduate thesis for Neuroscience.  By the time I wrote my master’s thesis, the writing was a breeze! Nowadays, I am working with my current students on their writing skills by helping them create outlines, edit papers, and fully answering the prompts they are given.  I think life is funny in that way.  I went from absolutely hating writing to becoming good at it, to now working with students to improve their own writing.

Aside from College Writing, all of the math courses that I took at LCL have really benefited me.  Math has always been my favorite subject and so I continued to take math courses in college.  The foundation that was created at LCL definitely helped me to be more successful in college and at work.  This past semester, I had to tutor one of my students in math and although it has been over four years since I have taken a math class, I was able to help the student successfully pass the class.

What is a favorite high school moment of yours?

I really enjoyed my time spent at LCL and especially loved Class Day.  The weather was always great and spending the day competing with my classmates was fun! Each year Emily Wineinger and I would do the egg toss, and Sarah Rossing and I would do the three-legged race in the big relay at the end of the day.  It was also an exciting day because it was on Class Day, both junior and senior years, that I found out I had qualified for the State Track Meet in the high jump.  Aside from Class Day, I would have to say that weekly chapel is something that I miss the most these days.  Although I appreciated it at the time, it was something that I took for granted because it was so much a part of my routine.  However, I definitely miss not gathering together in worship multiple times a week with my classmates and teachers, and not having daily religion classes.  It is also different being at a public institution for the first time in my life where religion is not something that is openly discussed.

Any advice to current LCL students?

The teachers and culture of LCL had a huge influence on who I am today.  Although it has been almost seven years since I have graduated, it feels like it was just yesterday that I was going to Spanish class with Señor or sitting in math class with DBahr and Braz.  My advice to current LCL students, specifically the underclassmen, would be to take advantage of all of the opportunities that are given to you at LCL and to truly enjoy the time that you are spending there.  Get involved with anything that interests you and give yourself the chance to try something new.

Now specifically for the seniors, my advice would be to stay true to what you have learned during your time at LCL and to not only remember who you are, but whoseyou are.  You will encounter many people who do not believe the same things you do or who were not brought up in the same faith, but God has called us to be from this world, not of this world.  Also remember that no matter how far away from LCL you go, the teachers and administrators will always care for you and be holding you up in prayer.

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