Welcome to the Knight Times’ newest column, Life after Lincoln-Way. Each piece will give insight into a Lincoln-Way Central alumnus’ thoughts about life after high school and any tips they wish to share. Without further ado, our first alumna is Helen Ambrose.
Helen graduated from Lincoln-Way Central in 2024. She was involved in various activities while at Lincoln-Way Central including being on the varsity tennis team, writing for the newspaper, being the president and co-founder of “Bring Change to Mind,” as well as many other clubs. She was a high achieving student and took roughly 10 AP classes. Helen graduated as an AP scholar with Distinction, Illinois State Scholar, and as summa cum lade with a 4.6 GPA.
Who was the most influential teacher you had at Lincoln Way Central and why?
I adored Mrs. Vaculik. She was my journalism advisor all four years of high school and she was an inspiration to me in the classroom. Although I do not plan on teaching English, (I plan on teaching math), she encouraged my creative talents and always listened to me. She was a source of brightness in the middle of my day, and I could always count on her to put a smile on my face. Her teaching style, kind but firm, influenced how I want to teach in the future.
I also loved Coach Balluff. Although I never had him as a teacher, he was my coach for four years. He was someone I could always go to if I needed help or someone to talk to. He was a super positive coach who saw the potential in me from the start of my career at Central. He put me on varsity as a freshman and pushed me to play my best. During my senior year tennis banquet, he spoke about seeing me for the first time when I was in seventh grade at the summer tennis camp. He was impressed then and was disappointed that I wouldn’t be on his team for two more years. He has been a constant supporter and I couldn’t imagine my time at Lincoln-Way without him.
What was the best thing you learned at Lincoln-Way Central that has benefited you in life after high school?
I learned a lot academically, but the most important thing I learned in high school is how to build friendships. When I got to college, making friends was difficult. I had had the same friends my whole life and meeting new people was jarring. Central taught me how to float in between friend groups and make friends with people who are nothing like me. This was super helpful when I got to a college that is seven hours away from home, knowing no one.
Where do you go to College? What are you majoring in?
I go to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. I plan to major in mathematics and education. I also may pursue Spanish in the future, as I currently have my gold seal of biliteracy in the language.
What is the biggest change between high school and college?
The difference in workload is astronomical and the choice to actually get my work done is harder than it seems. Now, having the free will to do whatever I want makes the decision to be productive extremely difficult. I can stay up late, not do my homework, or even not go to a class because there would be no immediate consequences like there were in high school.
What tips do you have for incoming college freshman?
Learn how to study effectively now so that when you actually have to put in the effort to get good grades, you know how to.
What has been your biggest accomplishment since graduating from Lincoln-Way Central?
My biggest accomplishment since graduating was becoming involved in the election process. I was an election ambassador at my college. I went door to door, knocked, and registered people to vote. Ever since I was younger, I have been looking forward to the political process, and being able to be so involved in the first election I could actually vote in was amazing.
What is the “take-away” from Helen’s experience? The time to learn how to study and stop procrastinating is NOW – when we still have adults around us to guide us. Along with this, while it’s a corny statement, high school really does fly by fast, so be sure to enjoy your time.
