EFFINGHAM, Ill. (WAND) - A 19-year-old from Effingham will earn her bachelor's degree this month and complete her first year of law school by using an accelerated program.
Lily Wise, a 19-year-old from Effingham, Illinois, will earn a bachelor’s degree in SIU Carbondale’s criminology and criminal justice program on May 10, and through the 3+3 accelerated law program, finish her first year of law school.
Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School student Lily Wise will graduate with her bachelor's degree from SIU Carbondale's criminology and criminal justice program on May 10 and continue as a second-year law student.
Most 19-year-olds in college would just be finishing their freshman year.
Wise started taking online courses at Lake Land College in Mattoon as a 15-year-old Effingham High School freshman in 2020.
Wise enrolled at SIU Carbondale for the fall 2023 semester, just weeks after earning her associate degree from Lake Land and high school diploma.
Wise is the first student to take advantage of the law school's 3+3 accelerated law program, allowing her to finish her undergraduate degree at SUI while completing her first year of law school.
Wise is interested in civil litigation and has an internship with a large civil litigation law firm this summer. She is considering representing hospitals and doctors in medical malpractice cases in the future, SIU said.
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