2009 Recipients
Elizabeth Dupper Buckman
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Major: Bachelor of Science Secondary English Education, with Distinction
Certificates: Licensed teacher in Illinois and Indiana
Achievements: 2010 Indiana University Founders Society Scholar; direct admit to IU School of Education
College Involvement: Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, President; Little 500 Bike Team Member; Little 50 Runner; IU Dance Marathon; Writer for “The Odyssey”, Hutton Honors Mentor, IU Visitor Center Tour Guide/Receptionist, Rob Koranda Scholarship Award presenter and speaker.
Volunteer: Youth Group Leader, Feed My Starving Children
Fondest Memory of College: IU is a campus that wears each season better than the last. It is hard to isolate one memory as the best because each day was filled with fun. I loved all of years in Bloomington and feel lucky to have spent my undergraduate time there. I will always remember the moment when I was talking about returning to school after winter break my sophomore year and saying that I would be, “driving home in a few days,” and realizing that IU really had become home to me.”
Internships: Rob Koranda Scholarship Foundation, Writer, Development, Event Planner
Porsche Cars North America, Area Central, Marketing
Career: Churchill Middle School, Elmhurst, IL. English Teacher, 6th Grade
Current Endeavors: 2014 Chicago Marathon Finisher
NNHS: ”I look back at my high school years at Naperville North with fondness. It was a terrific place to take risks, challenge yourself, embrace new ideas, and create meaningful and lifelong friendships. I am still close with friends I made in middle school and high school, and I attribute a great deal of this to the fact that North outwardly encourages and values creating these types of meaningful friendships with classmates, teammates, and friends. I always felt supported, appreciated, and valued at North while being encouraged to become the best version of myself.”
“I have always appreciated that the Rob Koranda Scholarship has “recipients” not “winners.” The company I find myself in each year as more members are welcomed to the family amazes me. My favorite thing about this community is that as new recipients are introduced, I find new role models to look up to. As a high schooler, I valued that this scholarship was based a great deal on character, and not purely achievement. The scholarship community is one that I will be connected to for my entire life because it does not just recognize high school achievement, rather it embraces and encourages an entire lifetime of strong character, new adventures, and meaningful relationships.”
Danny Sagen
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Major: Bachelor of Science Finance and Accounting, with Distinction
Currently: I am a restructuring consultant at Alvarez and Marsal, have been doing this for almost 7 years, and recently got married at the end of October 2019.
Achievements: Direct admit to Kelley School of Business, 2010 Indiana University Founders Society Scholar, Key note speaker annual RAK Scholarship golf outing 2014.
College Involvement: Sigma Pi Fraternity, Social Chairman; Hutton Honors College member; Indiana University Dance Marathon.
Impact of RAK Scholarship: The RAK scholarship continues to help keep me grounded and focused on the things that really matter. In the "real world", I've found certain activities that seemed to be much more accessible in high school can easily slip through the cracks if you're not keeping them in the forefront of your mind. For me, especially with a job that requires regular travel, the most prevalent example of this has been volunteering. The RAK scholarship helps me remember that, even when hours are long or travel is tough, the importance of being nice and helping to make others feel better. I've also found this doesn't have to come in the form of a grandiose gesture, sometimes just being polite to the people you interact with or listening to a coworker that has a lot on their mind can be enough to improve their day. Being part of this community helps me maintain that focus, be grateful for opportunities I've been provided and continue to embrace life for all that it has to offer.
When I was a freshman at North at my first awards ceremony, the RAK scholarship immediately caught my attention. Not because it was a recognition of smartest student or best athlete, but because it recognized integrity. I never had the pleasure of meeting Rob, but from that video we learned he was an accomplished athlete, driven student, and highly involved in school / community activities. We also learned that he didn't take himself too seriously, was always trying to bring people together and was never too busy to lend a helping hand. And to me, the intent of the scholarship was to highlight all the intangibles Rob had which made him such a memorable and likable person. This really hit home, and I realized if I can try to live a life following in those footsteps, I'll certainly be headed in the right direction.