Jay Wisler

Written by Simon Williams

Senior Jay Wisler plans to spend the 2025–2026 academic year working and managing his family’s property before attending Johnson County Community College in Fall 2026. Wisler — who plans to transfer to the KU School of Business after attending JCCC — said he hopes to use this opportunity to build on his entrepreneurial interests and family history.

“[I want] to have my own business, whether it be renting out rooms [at my family property] or whatnot. My dad owned an IT company. My grandfather owned his own law firm. My aunt owns her own salons. I just want to carry on a family business,” Wisler said.

Wisler said that the opportunity became available after his father decided to move away from Lawrence and agreed to let Wisler use the house and property in exchange for paying the property’s expenses. Wisler said that this is an opportunity for him to learn business experientially.

“College might be really hard for me, but I still want to learn,” Wisler said. “The best way for me to learn is to experience things, and like I said, I want to rent out this property and learn business.

Nikolai Smith 

Written by Ember Klein

After graduating from Free State, Senior Nikolai Smith intends to join the military to work on jets in the Air Force.

“I have a passion for jets and I’ve always wanted to work on one. It just seemed like a good fit,” Smith said.

Smith said that college didn’t seem like the right fit for him, leading him to look at enlisting.

“I haven’t been the best academically in school so college isn’t a great option for me,” Smith said. “It has a lot of good benefits. I’d still be able to go to school online and get my degree.”

Smith says that alongside the college and healthcare benefits, he sees the military as a route for personal growth.

“It’s just going to help me become a better person, discipline-wise and structure myself,” Smith said.