COD Alumnus Jacques LaCour Receives the ICCTA Pacesetter Award

June 25, 2024 at 16:00 PM EDT

Glen Ellyn, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - June 25, 2024) - College of DuPage alumnus Jacques LaCour is the recipient of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association's 2024 Pacesetter Award.

The annual honor recognizes the accomplishments of a recent community college graduate who has overcome life's obstacles, focused on humanitarian service, and continued supporting education and community colleges.

LaCour earned the Cybersecurity and Defense Associate in Applied Science and currently works as a senior analyst at United Airlines. He said receiving the ICCTA Pacesetter award is both exciting and surprising.

"I am always striving to put in another 10 percent and work a little harder to keep up," he said. "This has shown me just how hard work and passion pays off. I hope that my story and this award can inspire others."

When LaCour originally attended COD, he earned a degree in Automotive Service Technology and completed several business classes. In December 2016, LaCour and his wife were expecting their first child when he noticed something was wrong with his eyesight.

"Computer screens became harder and harder to read," he said. "I always had 20/20 vision, so I knew something was off."

Doctors conducted an array of tests but could not diagnose what was happening. One of LaCour's nurses had a family member who went to Northwestern Medicine's eye clinic in downtown Chicago, so LaCour checked into it and eventually was seen by the head of ophthalmology. At one point after an MRI, LaCour was sent to the ER and spent six days in the hospital. But no diagnosis could be found.

Finally, a test that could only be processed at one lab in the entire country revealed that LaCour had one of three mutations of a rare genetic condition causing the optic nerve to die from the inside out. After three to six months, the condition stabilizes but the damage is irreversible.

"I remember one day being with someone who was like a second mom to me, and I had a horrible moment because I was terrified I would never see my son's face. In June 2017, when the doctor called with the diagnosis, he told me that there was no treatment and nothing more to do, but that there would be no more changes to my vision. I remember thinking, 'I'm good now.' I knew what was wrong and I knew where I could go."

When he stopped working due to his vision, LaCour began playing with a Raspberry Pi Zero, an inexpensive computer meant to help someone learn Linux. He had received it as a gift and connected to it from his iPad, which he held up to his face. In doing so, he rediscovered his love for computers and returned to COD for another degree. He found success in the classroom with help from the College's Access and Accommodations office and the Computer and Information Technology program faculty.

"Professor Tony Chen was the first person I met with at COD. I was in a very unique situation in that I couldn't drive, so my brother would pick me up in the morning and drop me off, and I would usually spend the whole day at COD, even if I only had one class."

Both Access and Accommodations and the CIT faculty did everything they could to help LaCour succeed, from discussing needs with him at the beginning of each semester to providing large monitors in the classrooms.

"It worked out phenomenally," he said. "Everyone was always asking, 'Can we do more?'"

LaCour earned his second degree and transferred to Dakota State University for a master's in cyber defense. He continued his association with COD and worked as a tutor and a lab aide for the CIT program, managing all of the equipment and running open labs.

When Wheaton-Warrenville South High School started a cybersecurity club, Chen suggested that LaCour-who graduated from the school-work with them. LaCour mentored cybersecurity students and, for his efforts, was named American Airforce Association CyberPatriot XIII Mentor of the Year in 2021.

"The club started with eight or 10 students and is now up to 40, and I still help when I have time available. I owe being named mentor of the year to all the kids and the faculty."

LaCour knows he needs a sense of humor regarding his vision as well as a desire to search for solutions.

"My advice for people facing an uncertain future due to a health issue is acceptance of the situation and a willingness to figure out how to get where you want to go," he said. "Once I realized what was available, I actually had more requests to help me than I could sometimes handle.

"College of DuPage was instantly supportive. Faculty members were always there and a big part of my journey, while people everywhere at the College-including other students-were always willing to lend a hand. Later when I was brought on as a lab aide and asked to mentor students, I knew how much I wanted to help others, thanks to COD."

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Jacques LaCour