Recognizing Academic Achievements in Forester Football

Over the course of the summer, we have had a chance to sit back and reflect on a lot of the GREAT things that our Forester Football Players accomplish off of the field. We have had a lot of great things that go unnoticed because they do not appear in a box score, but they are often times more important for the future of our team members than an individual statistic.

The Midwest Conference announced the 2012-13 Academic All Conference Selections this past week. The Foresters had ten members of the 2012 make the list. Click here to see the Official Press Release

Congratulations to Seniors: Edwin Esperanza, Aidan Price; Juniors Michael Garetto-Balmer, Mike Lewis, and Nick Waters    Sophomores: Shane Moylan, Phillip Rindom, Ben Larsen   ; Freshman: David Rafter, Sonny Valcin. Also on the list was Chris Madson, who will be suiting up for the Foresters this fall.

Senior Aidan Price was admitted into the National Football Foundations' Hampshire Honor Society. He is the first Forester in over 8 years to be enshrined in the society. Click here to see the Official Press Release  We could not be more proud of Aidan and all of his accomplishments. Since graduation, Aidan has chosen to enlist in the United States Marine Corp, and is the embodiment of everything the Marines stand for.

While many people thing that the summer time is an "off period" for academic growth of our football players, it is simply not the case. Freshman Sonny Valcin has spent the summer as a member of the Lake Forest College Richter Scholar Program. Sonny spent the majority of the summer performing research with Professor Rob Lemke on consumer behavior. Sonny presented his findings at the annual Richter Scholars Symposium in July.

Our upper-class students have been participating in significant internships this spring and summer. The access to the city of Chicago as well as prominent company headquarters in the northern suburbs have opened up a number of opportunities for our players to network and hone their skills in the professional setting.

Here is a small sampling of some of our internships over the last nine months:

Tommy Mitchell: Communication internships with Nickelodeon (spring of '13), Rolling Stone Magazine (summer of '13)

Jordan Cruz: Economics internship with The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (summer of '13)

Mike Lewis: Sports Marketing and Graphic Design internships with The Batterz Box (spring of '13) and Pro Sports Experience (summer of '13)

Alec Howe: Business internship with Concept Metal Groups/Integricoat Corporation.

Jake Rotkvich: Market Analysis internship with Trinity Manufacturing.

Though these are just a few examples of how the learning process of student-athletes is year round, it is something that we take great pride in as a coaching staff and as an institution. We look forward to highlighting even more accomplishments as we move though the academic year for you.