By the end of her sophomore year, Coppell High School senior Alondra Carrillo had already planned out her future.

For as long as she could remember, she saw herself in a hospital, working with children and families as a pediatric oncologist. The path was personal to her because of a close family friend diagnosed with an incurable cancer at four months old.

“That’s what sparked my interest,” Carrillo said. “I wanted to help kids like her.”

That goal remained constant for years. Through course selections and conversations with friends and family, medicine became the plan.

Somewhere between November and April of junior year, that certainty began to shift.

Carrillo participated in the iLead program, a leadership initiative that connects students with local officials, business leaders and community decision-makers. It quickly became immersive for Carrillo.

She stood out from the first sessions.

“She was immediately collaborative, very engaged,” CISD chief communications officer Angela Brown said. “She was quick to kind of jump in and help the group, and she was a definite leader.”

Through iLead, this assumption unraveled.

“I got to talk to all these really, really cool people, people that were on the city council and business owners,” Carrillo said. “It kind of just opened my eyes to realizing that I don’t love oncology as much as I do law.”

Now, Carrillo spends her time interning with local leaders by helping manage social media and attending community events. Carrillo views it as a window into something much bigger.

“I’ve had the opportunity to go to really cool events,” Carrillo said. “It’s helped me get an insight into what it is to be an elected official. You’re listening to hundreds and thousands of voices.”

That same ability to connect across different groups was already something she was practicing in a different setting. As the Lariettes’ lead social officer, Carrillo regularly found herself bridging communication between students, parents and staff, representing the team in formal events.

“You have to take control,” Carrillo said. “You have to lead, you have to communicate with all different kinds of people.”

The growth was visible within the team.

“I could see her being more confident in herself when speaking to the team and in general,” senior Aditri Shukla said. “Her confidence has for sure grown.”

Carrillo’s leadership became especially evident in high-pressure moments, whether during performances, planning deadlines or fast-moving team decisions. She learned to remain composed and steady.

This composure is something she has gained from every leadership space she’s entered, such as the Lariettes.

“If you mess up, do not show it on your face,” Carrillo said. “You can just play it off and continue. Putting my face out there and putting my foot out there, dressing professionally, acting professionally, it definitely helps prepare you into that world of law.”

Carrillo’s perspective narrowed her focus toward two areas of law: immigration and family law, topics connected to her own background as a Latina and someone with divorced parents.

The decision to pivot, however, was not easy.

“It was the end of my junior year when I finally made that switch,” Carrillo said. “I was really scared to honestly tell my parents.”

After years of identifying with one path, changing direction felt like starting over, especially while surrounded by peers who seemed certain about their futures.

“I have always really, really been into politics,” Carrillo said. “But I was so into pediatric oncology that I was like, I can’t do both. It was kind of hard thinking that you know what you’re going to do, and then realizing that you’re not going to want to do that.”

Still, the shift brought clarity.

Looking ahead, Carrillo has a plan once again. This time, it is centered on political science, law school and eventually a role in government.

“I would love to live in D.C.,” Carrillo said. “My long-term goal is to be elected into Congress. I really, really want to be a senator.”

And while she feels strongly about this goal, Carrillo is always open to revising the plan.

“The same way that I had that change, there might be something that changes in me,” Carrillo said. “But for sure in stone that I do want to be in the world of politics.”

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