Country stars are asked the question all the time: "What would you be doing if you weren't a country singer?" 'American Idol' runner-up Lauren Alaina would still be high school, but she admits she'd be working toward a career in special education.

In an interview with The Boot, Alaina shares how important her "special friends" are to her. "I like to help people and I love kids," she says. "So I always said that if I never made it in the music business, I wanted to be a pediatrician or a special needs teacher. I love those kids in my school, they're my babies!"

Alaina has made the Special Olympics a yearly tradition since the sixth grade, coaching teams in recent years. In her liner notes on the 'Wildflower' album, she writes, "Thank you to my 'special' friends from school. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the Special Olympics this year, but I'm sure y'all won all of the medals even without my help! I love and miss y'all each and every day!"

This Saturday, Alaina will return to the Grand Ole Opry for the Women Rock  for the Cure concert. Martina McBride and Kellie Pickler will also perform during the October 22 concert.

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