Student and Partner Spotlight

Jan Half, Lilly Martin and the Story of How One Former Teacher’s Donation is Making a Big Difference in a Small Town

In 2019, Northern Illinois University and Leland CUSD #1, a K-12 public school in Leland, Illinois, began a mutually beneficial partnership based on the generosity of one former Leland teacher, Jan Half. Half taught at Leland in the late 1970s before returning to school to complete her master’s degree at NIU. Even when she moved onto other places, Half’s ties with Leland and NIU remained strong.

When Half approached the NIU foundation with the intention of making a donation to support Leland students, a bold new partnership began focused on advancing STEAM education for Leland students, both within their school and through campus connections. NIU STEAM, in the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development, has offered teacher professional development and STEAM programming within Leland School. Half’s donation also supports Leland students to attend NIU STEAM summer camps, where they learn from NIU faculty and staff, complete hands-on STEAM projects, and get a chance to explore college and career pathways with mentorship from NIU student counselors.

One student who has benefitted from this partnership is Lilly Martin, a sophomore at Leland High School who has attended NIU STEAM summer camps for the past three years. This year, Lilly has paid forward Jan’s investment in her education by bringing what she learned at NIU STEAM Sports Camp back to Leland School. Leland’s student athletes now benefit from a book of specially designed weightlifting lessons Lilly creating targeting each sport’s unique needs.

We spoke with Lilly to learn more about her experiences at STEAM Camp, her goals for the future and how Jan Half’s generosity is making a difference in her life.

Can you start out by sharing a little bit about yourself, your year in school and your interests?

I’m a sophomore at Leland High School, and I’ve played sports my whole life. I’m very active. I enjoy school, sports and friends, and I really enjoy learning about the body and how it works. I’m taking an anatomy class right now, and I really enjoy it. So when I saw there was a STEAM Sports Camp this past summer, I was very interested.

Had you attended STEAM summer camps previously?

This was my third or fourth year. In previous years I attended middle school camp at the NIU Lorado Taft outdoor campus. There were still sports at those camps, but the main focus was nature and forensics.

This year, we were on the main NIU campus in DeKalb. It was really cool to see all the facilities the athletes get to use throughout the week, to see the fields where they play, and to learn about nutrition, strength training and everything involved in helping them play their best.

Were there some things you learned about that were brand new to you?

Yes! One thing that really stuck out is a body mass testing system. You basically sit in this little cage, and you go underwater, and it records your body mass, and it’s totally accurate. It’s extremely cool to use for athletes to know exactly the amount of muscle and fat in your body.

I have so many questions I’m trying to decide what to ask next! Can you share a little bit about your career goals and ideas?

I have a couple of career options, but they very scattered still. (I’m just a sophomore!) I love hands-on, so I definitely cannot see myself sitting down all day working on tech. I enjoy the engineering side a lot, where you’re working hands-on to solve problems. And I’m also interested in sports medicine because I’m taking anatomy, and it’s super fun to learn, and I feel like it’s really sticking in my brain! So right now I’m thinking of a medical field or some type of engineering.

Can you tell me about the weight room project you ended up doing back at Leland?

Yes! I actually have the binder with me right here. It has weekly schedules for all the sports. They all have each day on a page, with a plan for your weightlifting that day.

When we were at NIU STEAM Sports Camp, we had to make our own sports team. I was in a group of three, including my best friend, and we made a soccer club. We then got to research what NIU does for their workout plan. I thought that was so cool because they have designated workout plans for their athletes to choose from.

I also follow a lot of Division I athletes on social media, and many of them have their workout plans listed. So we looked at those for inspiration as well.

I didn’t think of actually using the plans back at Leland, though – that was Principal Bickel’s idea. He said, it would be cool if you made a workout plan for our athletes, and I realized – I have all the materials I need to do it!

So I made a template to use for every workout plan, then I looked at what plans athletes were using for each sport and plugged that in. Soccer, for instance, has lower body strength on Monday, and so on… so there’s a specific focus and purpose for the exercises each day.

What sports do you play?

I’m really big on soccer, and I play volleyball just for fun. I did basketball for a lot of years but decided not to this year – the seasons are very long in high school. I also take part in two seasons of trap shooting.

That’s very cool! Was there anything surprising about the differences in the way workout plans are tailored for different sports?

Yes. As I was looking at volleyball and soccer, volleyball had more focus on strength in your arms and your core, and soccer was mostly leg days. Which makes sense because you need to be more explosive on your legs. So those differences really stuck out. I feel like basketball was all of it because you need your arms and shoulders to shoot, but you also need that low stance with your legs.

Do you plan to go back to STEAM camp again?

My best friend and I would definitely love to go back next year, as long as we still have scholarship opportunities from Jan Half. I’m not sure if I’d like to do STEAM Sports Camp again because I think I’d like to try something different and learn about a different career field. There was a coding camp, I believe, and some engineering ones that look interesting because I’ve tried that kind of thing in my shop class, and it would be nice to try at NIU.

What do you enjoy about NIU STEAM Camps?

I love the camps because, number one, you get college students that are your counselors and helping to lead you. It’s also just fun to meet new people. I’m an extrovert, and I love meeting people. And I feel like I learn more – and the other high school students learn more – when we see these things done by a college student. They have lived this campus experience, and it’s great to learn from them.

Was there anything that surprised you about being on the college campus?

Definitely! The Student Center has a whole bowling alley and pool tables everywhere that you can use. And I’m not a video gamer, but when we went and saw the Esports Arena, I had never seen anything like it before. It was very cool.

Is there anything else that you think is important that I didn’t ask about?

This camp really allowed us to be active. We went and saw the rec center, and that was amazing. I also thought it was really fun to see the places where these Division I athletes get to train and to see how they have nutritionists planning their meals. I’ve never seen something like that, so it was very interesting!

Did that change how you plan your workouts, and how you meal plan for yourself as an athlete?

It definitely made me think about what I’m eating and try to be a better athlete. As I’m only a sophomore, I plan to be my best when I’m a senior and possibly get offers for Division I schools if I can. So the camp really made me think, would I rather eat a brownie or a protein bowl? Now I stop to think about how it affects my body in the long run.

What do you think about when you imagine fitting together college, career planning and athletics?

I think I could do it because when I was at NIU summer camp, one of our counselors was a Division I soccer player – she was the NIU goalie. She told me about her schedule because we just got to talking about it. I don’t think it would be too hard to manage as long as you take responsibility and realize – you can’t just pick one or the other. You have to work hard at both school and your sport.

Do you have a message you’d like Jan Half to know about what a difference her support has made to you and your classmates?

She has opened up things I’ve never even thought about – careers I never even knew existed. I think it’s awesome that one person has changed these high schoolers’ lives. If I do go into this career, it would be because of Jan Half because I didn’t even know what a nutritionist was, I didn’t know about these lab specialists and other jobs just for sports. I think it’s cool that I had the opportunity to visit the NIU campus and to see what there is other than just what my little school offers.