Patrick Ford
Hometown: St. Joseph
Major: Secondary Education
Interests: Running, fitness, IL athletics
Winner of the 2009 Illinois Marathon's 5K Run and fourth in his high school graduating class, Patrick Ford is no stranger to hard work and determination to achieve his goals. He says Parkland's small class sizes and personal attention are the right fit for his needs as he moves toward transfer to Eastern Illinois University and a career that "allows me to be outdoors when I want to be, maybe teaching or coaching." Although a favorite instructor is Parkland's Charles Larenas, who teaches in Education, Patrick is still most inspired to achieve by his former high school cross-country coach, Andy Derks, who placed sixth in the state's inaugural marathon.