Her Voice is a weekly article about women in or from our area and how they make an impact on the world around them. If you know someone SheSays should feature in HerVoice, email Tracy Frank at tfrank@forumcomm.com .
FARGO - Victoria Laven spent her high school years alternating between Fargo and East Coast schools.
She spent her entire freshman year in New York, attending school and playing hockey at the National Sports Academy, a college preparatory, boarding and day school for grades eight through 12.
Her sophomore year, Laven transferred to the North American Hockey Academy in Vermont, a school and competitive hockey program for girls in grades eight through 12. Laven would spend the hockey season in Vermont and the rest of her time in Fargo.
She recently graduated from Fargo Davies High School and will attend Middlebury College in Vermont in the fall. She plans to study pre-law and play NCAA Division III women's hockey.
ADVERTISEMENT
While playing college hockey is a dream come true for Laven, it's taken a lot of hard work to make that dream happen.
"I feel like I've been waiting for this forever, all the work these past four years and all the sacrifices I've made with going out to school, I'm just really happy about it and I can't wait," she said.
It took Laven and her parents months to decide whether she would attend the out-of-state hockey academies, she said.
"We thought about it for a long time but I really wanted to do it," Laven said. "I really wanted to play college hockey at a really good academic school, and I thought it would help me get into a better academic school."
Since her dad is a pilot, her parents, Deborah and Jeff Laven, were able to fly free to some of her tournaments.
Laven, who took up hockey in second grade, played an average of 75 games a year, nearly triple what she would likely have played during regular high school season, she said.
"I've always had a passion for hockey more than any other sport," she said.
But she's also put in the effort to get where she is today. While at the academy, she went through a rigorous workout program that involved practicing and working out every day. In the summer she works out on her own and finds time to skate when she can.
ADVERTISEMENT
She also worked hard in school to graduate with a 4.2 GPA. She took the same classes and curriculum in Fargo and Vermont and when she transferred between schools.
Laven, who plays defense, says she's excited to play hockey in college and to have a national championship to work toward. She leaves for Vermont at the end of the month.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Tracy Frank at (701) 241-5526
