So what happens to these Academic All-Stars who are named every year?

As is tradition, the Journal-World caught up with as many All-Star alumni as possible from the team 10 years ago. The class of 2005 left high school as decorated and ambitious students, and here's where they stand today:

Then: An Ottawa High School graduate who wanted to be a nuclear medical physician and considered majoring in engineering physics. She kept a 4.0 GPA in high school, was a National Merit Semifinalist and volunteered in the radiology department at Ransom Memorial Hospital in Ottawa.

Now: After high school, Yoast earned bachelor's degrees in biology and genetics at Kansas University. She then enrolled in medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 2014. She is now married and enrolled in a residency program in Pittsburgh. Her concentration is pathology, where she diagnoses cancer and other diseases. After her residency, she hopes to receive a fellowship in molecular pathology.

Advice: "Stick with it. Whatever you want to do, work hard."

Then: On her way out of Free State High School, Hull did not know what she wanted to do in or after college. She expressed an interest in math and hadn't yet decided where to attend to school; there were four choices at the time. She held a 4.0 GPA, was named an AP Scholar and won a Brown University Book Award. She was the co-president of a community service organization at Free State as well.

Now: After graduating from Kansas University with degrees in economics, math and Spanish, Hull is about to receive her doctorate in economics from Duke University. She specializes in applied microeconomics with an emphasis on labor economics and the economics of education. She will become an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro next fall.

Advice: "I think putting yourself in situations where you're uncomfortable is really important, or not restricting yourself to situations where you are comfortable. You learn a lot more by being uncomfortable and failing than you do by being comfortable and succeeding."

Then: A Free State High School student with plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania to major in Chinese and economics, to become either a translator, college professor or work in international business. She was a National Merit Semifinalist and a Kansas Honor Scholar with a 4.0 GPA. She competed in state piano festivals and volunteered at the Lawrence Public Library.

Now: Jiang did attend Penn, but after making friends with several business school students, she got "immersed in the business world." She graduated in 2009 with degrees in psychology and Chinese and moved to New York City to work in marketing. In 2012, she moved to Chicago, where she is now employed at the Nielsen Company, doing market research.

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The Academic All-Stars of 2005: Where are they now?