LHS Alumnus Earns PhD, Credits Lemont School Districts

LEMONT, IL — Lemont High School alumnus Michael Monaco has spent the years since he graduated in the world of higher education, and just earned his PhD in virology from Western Michigan University.

Monaco, who graduated from LHS in 2012, told Patch that his projects revolved around using an "engineered virus called tanapoxvirus to treat human cancers, mainly focusing on triple negative breast cancer and melanoma, with a small project in pancreatic cancer."

The LHS graduate said his preparation for higher education started early on.

He credits the Lemont grade schools for the opportunities to pursue more advance learning, starting in second grade when h and continuing through the eighth grade when he was driven to the high school to learn advanced math.

"Because Lemont grade schools offered the opportunity to push your academic potential at a young age, I was ultimately able to pursue the courses I needed in high school and college to make graduate school a reality," he told Patch.

Monaco also credits his teachers at LHS, including Dr. Leffler, who taught biology and other science courses.

"He was so important to my choice to pursue my own doctoral degree because he believed I had the potential for it," Monaco said. "He fostered the belief in me that I had the scientific aptitude and curiosity needed to pursue a research degree, because he made it clear that just being smart wasn’t enough."

Monaco said he was grateful for Leffler and his AP Biology class, which became a focal point for his life during his senior year.

"I can now truly appreciate how my academic path was shaped by the Lemont school district’s willingness to foster advanced learning in their young students and to give opportunities to fast-track learning, and by the teachers who recognize and nurture potential in their students," Monaco said. "Having teachers believe in you and push you to go beyond the basic requirements of the course are critical to having the passion and confidence to pursue whatever career path is ahead."