Green River College (GRC) gave Shakti that second chance he needed to succeed. He
went from flunking high school back home in Singapore, to winning the President's
Award at GRC and getting admitted to top universities in the USA. He will be transferring
to UC Berkeley in the fall.
Tell me a little bit about your background and why you chose to attend GRC?
I chose to attend GRC for various reasons, I flunked high school because I could not keep up with the pace of education throughout my teenage years and went to a polytechnic to study engineering where I flunked again with a 2.56 GPA (I had zero interest in engineering). Since admission to local universities is insanely competitive, I did not even have a shot at applying to any such schools. I was lost for a couple of years, and I thank the military for occupying my time in that period. But I always loved the USA and discovered the community college system (Green River College and some other colleges in California popped up). I met with an agent who eventually linked me with Alvin Tai, Director of International Outreach at GRC, who simply presented the opportunity to me by explaining the process and highlighting the stellar track record GRC has in transferring students to top institutions. However, I was personally allured to the diversity, nature and holistic education that GRC advertised and decided to convince my parents that this would be my final shot at higher education and that I would work very hard if given the opportunity to attend!
How did your attitude towards studying change when you got here?
I told myself no more messing around, this is my final shot, and I cannot afford to fail anymore. I think Dr. Stewart told us that we are a blank canvas here and we can paint our own ending, so I worked insanely hard to get off to the right start with good grades and realized that hard work always pays off and kept that attitude throughout my time here!
How did getting involved on campus help you?
I always wanted to immerse myself in student life, but also in our greater community. Experience in the army taught me the value of service and commitment to improvement. I believe that involvement on campus through the various student clubs and organizations at GRC, allowed me to freely explore my niche while instilling core values in service and inclusivity. My involvement in Student Government (ASGRC) and employment at the Career and Advising Center deepened my insights into our student body by opening my eyes into the intricacies and challenges faced by students in our community which provided invaluable service experiences in a bid to try and work towards helping them in any way I could. Furthermore, my role in the Rotaract Club allowed me to engage and collaborate with local community entities aimed at improving lives. All this gave me a sense of fulfillment in what I was doing with my time but also spurred me to be a better student and person altogether.
How did you go from almost failing high school to a 4.0 GPA and getting into top schools in the USA? What’s your secret?
I wish there was a secret formula but there really isn't, the more work you put into your craft, the more you get out of it. Go to class, get engaged, forge relationships with professors and classmates, allocate some time every day to work. It’s all about balance and prioritization. There will always be time to enjoy even if you pass up on an opportunity for fun to focus on prioritizing working/studying because I don't remember feeling left out by skipping on a fun time with friends to study for an exam or test because I knew that fun times would always come along after periods of struggle whether in exams or other endeavors. It's really that easy.
With admissions to universities, I think being authentic to myself and embracing my identity was one big factor that I highlighted in my applications which allowed me to stand out. I didn't shy away from the reality of my past, I embraced it and used my performance here to highlight my work ethic and story as a student. After all, most universities put a lot of emphasis on how you would FIT into their school and not about how and what you have accomplished as a student.
What advice do you have for students in a similar situation that may be thinking about attending Green River College?
You are the director of your own movie, if you decide to put in the effort, no matter your past circumstance, good things will happen. One thing about GRC, I can confidently say, is that the school will hurl a thousand academic and non-academic opportunities at you, there will always be things to do here, whether it's finding your people, serving the community or simply working towards self-improvement. The diverse and holistic culture here at GRC is probably one of the best I have witnessed but it's completely up to how you embrace those opportunities and whether you decide to take that leap of faith towards excellence. I will end off with what I strongly believe in, "do not be afraid to fail because failure is always a lesson, but definitely do everything you can to avoid it."
Check these out:
- Shakti shares what he likes about Green River College (YouTube Short)
- Testimonials from Top Transfer Students 2024
