SAC Student Elliot Watt Accepted at Princeton University

After a year at San Antonio College, Elliot Watt, 25, 将于今年秋天进入普林斯顿大学，获得全额奖学金学习神经科学.

在经历了一系列挫折之后，瓦特不确定自己能否进入一所常春藤盟校, including an unsuccessful first attempt at college, having to abandon his dream career, and the death of his mother.

While his journey to Princeton had a few detours along the way, he spent his year at SAC working steadily toward his goal.

瓦特来自密西西比州，他原本计划高中毕业后参军. After visiting his brother, a fraternity member at the University of Mississippi, he changed his mind.

“I was just there to socialize. 大约一年半后，我意识到，‘我的时间都花在哪里了?’” he said. “I was just immature, I had bad grades, and I was undisciplined.”

他辍学加入海军，追求成为海豹突击队队员的梦想. That plan changed after he sustained serious injuries during training. 在服役3年后的2023年2月，他结束了兵役，开始考虑自己的下一步.

He decided to get serious about his education, with a goal of going to the University of Texas at Austin. 他选择在SAC开始工作有两个原因:学院的大型退伍军人社区，以及离他高中最好的朋友近一些, who lived in San Antonio.

He was determined to make the most of his time and applied for the Honors Academy and Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society at SAC, as soon as he could.

“当他来找我谈加入(荣誉)项目的事时，我看得出来，他想从SAC的经历中获得最大的收获,” said Honors Academy Director Laurie Coleman.

Watt agrees.

“我一直在寻找最好的地方来度过我的时间，这将有助于我进入这些机构,” he said.

While studying, Watt also worked on campus at the Victory Center, 退伍军人和军队学生一站式服务中心. During this time, 他发现了两个为退伍军人服务的非营利组织，这改变了他对未来的看法: Service to School and the Warrior-Scholar Project.

“是他们推动我为普林斯顿而奋斗，”瓦特说.

服务学校为退伍军人和服役人员提供免费的大学和研究生申请咨询.

这个项目让瓦特结识了一位同辈导师，他是普林斯顿大学的学生，也是海军老兵. He introduced Watt to other Princeton students, helped him with his admission essay, and talked to him about student life.

Through the Warrior-Scholar Project, 瓦特参加了一个由常春藤盟校教授组成的学术训练营, including Harvard and Yale, taught a rigorous, condensed one-week online program.

The program was an eye-opener for Watt. He realized that he was capable of a high level of academic work.

“I thought, ‘Wow, I can do this,’” he said. “我意识到我可以低下头，做别人都在做的工作.”

他对神经科学的热情源于他在2022年母亲去世后与悲伤的斗争. 在老板的建议下，他开始定期去健身房，很快就感觉好多了. 大脑和身体之间的联系引发了他的兴趣:为什么运动能如此有效地改善精神状态? He began researching the topic.

“I went down this rabbit hole. It was an instant passion,” he said.

When the time came to write his application essay, Watt enlisted help from Coleman at the Honors Academy. With a lackluster academic history prior to SAC, and not reaching his Navy Seal dreams, he wasn’t sure he would be a good candidate.

“艾略特对自己的录取有很多自我怀疑，”科尔曼说. “我记得我告诉他，他们想知道你在哪里奋斗过，遇到过哪些挑战. Own up to those things. If you felt you didn’t do your best, it’s okay to admit that. It’s okay to be a well-rounded, flawed applicant.”

瓦特了解到，普林斯顿大学和其他一流大学积极招收非传统学生, military veterans, 社区大学转校生和第一代大学生. 普林斯顿大学愿意支付瓦特的所有费用，包括学费、住房和食物.

普林斯顿大学的转学招生负责人找到了瓦特，邀请他联系任何问题. 瓦特多次与他交谈，询问问题并了解更多关于这所大学的情况.

“他们真的为退伍军人和转校生提供了机会，”瓦特说.

When Watt got his acceptance letter, he knew he’d made the right choice, 尤其是当他收到校园里人们源源不断的祝贺时.

“I had five or six students text me immediately saying congratulations, give me a call if you need anything,” he said.

SAC played a pivotal role in realizing his academic goals, Watt said.  

“SAC was a great stepping stone,” Watt said. “我不知道我还能去哪里得到这么多帮助, being a veteran, or to be around as many veterans as well.” 

瓦特对其他SAC学生计划下一步的建议是:“不要低估自己,” he said.

“You have something to give to the world. You just have to figure out what it is. 把自己放在能帮助你实现目标的环境中，不要气馁. You always have people who will help.”

-SAC-