SAC Student 艾略特瓦 Accepted at Princeton University

在圣安东尼奥学院待了一年之后, 艾略特瓦, 25, will start at Princeton University as a sophomore this fall with an all-expenses-paid scholarship to study neuroscience.

Watt wasn’t sure he could make it to an Ivy League university following a series of setbacks, including an unsuccessful first attempt at college, 不得不放弃他梦寐以求的事业, 还有他母亲的死.

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

Originally from Mississippi, Watt had planned to join the military after high school. 在拜访了他的兄弟之后, a fraternity member at the University of Mississippi, 他改变了主意.

“我只是去参加社交活动. After about a year and a half, I realized, ‘What am I doing with my time?’”他说。. “I was just immature, I had bad grades, and I was undisciplined.”

He dropped out to join the Navy, pursuing his dream of becoming a Navy Seal. That plan changed after he sustained serious injuries during training. He completed his military service in February 2023 after three years and contemplated his next steps.

他决定认真对待他的教育, with a goal of going to the University of Texas at Austin. He chose to start at SAC for two reasons: the college’s large veteran community and to be near his best friend from high school, 谁住在圣安东尼奥.

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

“I could tell when he came to meet with me about joining the (Honors) program that he wanted to get the most out of his experience at SAC,荣誉学院院长劳里·科尔曼说.

瓦特对此表示赞同.

“I was looking for the best possible places I could be to spend my time that would help me get into these institutions,他说.

在研究, 瓦特还在校园里的胜利中心工作, a one-stop service center for veterans and military-affiliated students. 在此期间, he discovered two nonprofit organizations for veterans that changed his ideas about his future: 为学校服务 和 Warrior-Scholar项目.

“They were really the ones that pushed me to strive for Princeton,” Watt said.

为学校服务 provides free college and grad school application counseling to 退伍军人 and service members.

The program connected Watt with a peer mentor who was a Princeton student and fellow Navy veteran. 他把瓦特介绍给普林斯顿的其他学生, 帮他写入学论文, 和他聊了聊学生生活.

通过勇士学者计划, Watt participated in an academic boot camp in which professors from Ivy League institutions, 包括哈佛和耶鲁, 教得很严谨, 浓缩的一周在线课程.

这个项目让瓦特大开眼界. He realized that he was capable of a high level of academic work.

“我想，‘哇，我能做到，’”他说. “I realized I could put my head down, do the work and do what everyone else was doing.”

His passion for neuroscience stemmed from his struggle with grief following the death of his mother in 2022. On the advice of his boss, he started going to the gym regularly and soon began to feel better. The brain-body connection triggered his interest: why did exercise work so well for feeling better mentally? 他开始研究这个话题.

“我掉进了这个兔子洞. 这是一种瞬间的激情，”他说.

When the time came to write his application essay, Watt enlisted help from Coleman at the 荣誉学院. 在SAC之前，他的学术经历平平无奇, 没有实现他的海豹突击队梦想, 他不确定自己是不是一个好的候选人.

“Elliot had a lot of self-doubt regarding his admissions,” Coleman said. “I remember telling him they want to know where you’ve struggled, the challenges you’ve had. 承认这些事情. If you felt you didn’t do your best, it’s okay to admit that. 做一个全面发展、有缺陷的申请人没关系.”

Watt learned that Princeton and other top-tier colleges actively recruit non-traditional students, 退伍军人, community college transfer students and first-generation college students. Princeton offered to cover all of Watt’s expenses, including tuition, housing and food.

The head of transfer admissions at Princeton reached out to Watt and invited him to get in touch with any questions. Watt spoke with him multiple times to ask questions and learn more about the university.

“They really made themselves available for veterans and transfer students,” Watt said.

当瓦特收到录取通知书的时候, 他知道他的选择是正确的, especially when he received an outpouring of congratulations from people on campus.

“I had five or six students text me immediately saying congratulations, 如果你需要什么，给我打电话,他说.

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

“SAC是一块很好的垫脚石，”瓦特说. “I don’t know where else I would have gone that I would have gotten as much help, 作为一名老兵, 或者和很多老兵在一起.” 

Watt has advice for other SAC students planning their next steps: “Don’t sell yourself short,他说.

“你可以给这个世界一些东西. 你只需要找出它是什么. Put yourself in situations that are going to help you achieve your goals and don’t get discouraged. 总有人会帮你.”

囊,