Striking-Determination-Shapes-a-Bright-Future.php

Striking Determination Shapes a Bright Future

• Students
• 04/08/2026

When Belvidere North High School student Lauren Schaefer told her mom she would make the National Honor Society; she meant it.

Lauren didn’t let anything get in the way of achieving her goal. Her mom, Dava, says “When Lauren really wants something and puts her mind to it, she does whatever is necessary to achieve success. When she found out she made the National Honor Society, she was soexcited and proud of herself, as we all were.”

With a passion for bowling, Lauren was the top high school performer in a fundraiser called Bowl 4 Kids, and did community service work through the National Honor Society by helping coach the Belvidere Middle Schools’ bowling teams. She loved bowling and competed in traveling scholarship bowling tours on the weekends. Her mom says receiving multiple bowling scholarships and RVC Foundation Scholarships have fully covered her tuition at RVC. Lauren has also become friends with Professional Bowling Association executives and some of the top professional bowlers in the world. “If Lauren needs anything, an interview, photo, and help with a school project, they are always there for her.”

After high school, Lauren wanted a good education close to home and attending a smaller school was important to her. She found that at Rock Valley College, starting her journey in the RAISE Program (Raising Aspirations through an Inclusive Student Experience). As a student with Down syndrome, the program provided Lauren with a supportive transition into college, helping her build skills for employment, higher education, and independent living.

Through the RAISE program, she completed the program requirements, taking classes in Financial Literacy, Planning for College and Career Success, Personal Empowerment, and Technology for College and Beyond. Lauren earned individual certificates for each course successfully completed, and a RAISE Certificate of Achievement at the end of the program.

Preparing to take credit courses, Lauren decided to enter the Mass Communications program with an emphasis on Media Production under the direction of Jerry LaBuy, the chair of the Mass Com department at RVC. She knew the great reputation of the program and wanted to do something with the media. “My mom was in the industry, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps.” Lauren finished the Media Production Specialist program last semester and will be graduating from the program this May. She said Professor LaBuy helped her meet and exceed her goals. “I am so grateful to all of my professors that helped me so much in media production, especially Jerry LaBuy. I have learned so much in every class, in my time at Rock Valley.”

While in the Mass Communications program, Lauren has interned at WTVO, worked with the Professional Bowlers Association-Fox/FS1 shows shooting behind the scenes, and participated in BowlTV as a booth guest for the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour. She also photographed three Hairball concerts. Her top accomplishment was winning third place in the state for journalism for the story she wrote for The Valley Forge, the school’s newspaper for her Writing for Multimedia class last Spring. Professor LaBuy says "Lauren had strong support from her family and made some impressive steps to apply what she learned in class out in the real world. She interned at a local TV station, took photos of concert events at large venues, and interviewed athletes at pro sporting events. She really seems to like to try it all.”

Lauren recently shared her experiences at RVC with fellow RAISE students during a class presentation, highlighting how the RAISE program helped her transition to credit classes. Her biggest advice for them was to follow your dreams. "You have to work really, really hard. Stay in the program and make sure you keep working hard.” Lauren’s mom says “The RAISE program was amazing and definitely helped Lauren transition to media production, and to be successful. I think RAISE really helped her transition into regular classes.” She also says “Rock Valley College was the best decision for Lauren, especially the Media Production program. She has had some amazing and very caring professors that have played a huge part in getting Lauren to where she is today.”

After graduation, Lauren wants to get a job as a camera operator at a local news station or find work as a professional photographer. “Lately I have fallen in love with photography,” she says. “I would love to be a concert photographer or a photographer for the Professional Bowlers Association."