Maurice A. West II is a proud graduate of Jefferson High School, class of 2003. After high school he went on to receive his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology from Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL, and Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.  After completing his education he came back to Rockford and began working at Rock Valley College (RVC) as a Career Counselor for the Dislocated Workers Program.  For three and a half years he assisted people within the community who were laid-off from their jobs to find new work and/or be retrained to become more marketable in the workforce. While at Rock Valley, he received the Booker Washington Community Center’s 25 Black Leaders to Watch Young Leader on the Rise Award in 2012.