Lauren Geraci

Marienville resident Lauren Geraci has balanced a wide variety of courses and activities during her junior year of high school. The hard work is paying off as Geraci prepares to one day not only complete an associate degree in business, but eventually become the owner of her own heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) company.

Geraci resides in the small town of Marienville and attends East Forest High School. On top of her coursework through the Forest Area School District, she’s completed two courses at Northern Pennsylvania Regional College (NPRC) through the institution’s dual enrollment program. This opportunity allows high schoolers in their junior and senior years to take college courses at their high school or at a location nearest to their community.

Fortunately for Geraci, her high school features one of NPRC’s instructional locations, making it convenient to attend morning courses while already at school. “The business course that I took was great and made me want to take another one,” Geraci said. “NPRC is a great opportunity for everyone interested in college and especially for those who do not want to overwhelm themselves with it from the start. College can be overwhelming, especially if people take too many courses at once. I have no regrets about taking courses at NPRC and it has been a great opportunity for me.”

The 2023-24 school year has been filled with some difficult coursework. Her English and business courses at NPRC were her first experiences in a college classroom, but courses in geometry, English composition, government and economics, and chemistry are also a part of her schedule. She takes her academic courses in the morning and then shifts focus to her two courses at the Venango Technology Center in the afternoon.

Her afternoons are spent traveling by bus to Oil City as a part of a co-op between Forest Area School District and Venango Technology Center, where students can complete coursework in vocational and technical trades. She studies building construction and HVAC and was inspired to learn more about these trades because of the work her father, Jim, has done in his career. It’s inspired her so much that she intends to earn her credentials in HVAC, complete an associate degree in business, and then start her own HVAC business. “My dad owned his own carpentry business when I was younger,” explained Geraci. “My dad is the most amazing person I know and him owning his own business has inspired me to want to do the same. I know my dad will always be there for me. He always has been."

In addition to her studies at NPRC and the Venango County Technical Center, she is a member of the robotics competition team through the Venango Technology Center; the drama club at East Forest; and Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). She recently competed in a robotics competition at Clarion University and was inducted into the National Honor Society all in the same week. She will also be a cast member for this year’s play as a member of the drama club at East Forest High School. It’s made for junior year to be the busiest throughout her academic journey, but it will serve as a year that she made major strides towards a brighter future. “I truly can’t thank my dad enough for his constant support. I always did well in school and was smart, but a lot of help has come from my dad.”

Geraci also expressed appreciation for Instructor of English Lynn Classon, her Instructor of Business Administration, Carlie Kaltenbach, and her proctor Penny Gawelski “Miss G.” Each of these women have helped to make her first experience as a college student a great one and an experience she looks forward to resuming beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

As junior year winds down and senior year makes its way into the equation, Lauren Geraci has risen to the occasion and showed discipline beyond her years. The strides she’s making now as a young person in both the areas of business and HVAC will certainly be decisions she looks back on and know paved the way for her having a successful career and a life she is proud of.