ESSEX, Vt. (WCAX) – With graduation around the corner, high school seniors are basking in their hard work over the past four years. One student at the Center for Technology in Essex is a self-made success story.
Angkith Pradhan has earned the praise of his peers, teachers, and staff, working his way from moving to the U.S. as a refugee to earning a prestigious scholarship.
The engineering classroom has been Pradhan’s happy place for the past few years.
“It’s really hands-on learning. That’s what I love about it,” said Pradhan.
The CTE senior has become a STEM specialist, from school assignments to programming a robotic arm, to designing augmented reality glasses. But there’s more to Pradhan than meets the eye.
Guidance counselor Emmy Charron says Pradhan’s academic accomplishments are even more impressive knowing the amount of work he spends outside of school to help his family who aren’t fluent in English.
“He was telling me like, ‘oh, I called my realtor today.’ And I was like, wait, why does a 10th grader have a realtor and so on. Angkeith was working with his family to relocate their family store,” said Charron.
He helps by working at their Asian Market and takes on other small jobs for extra cash.
“From the moment I’ve learned how to speak and write, I’ve always been taking care of my family’s needs, such as utility bills, reading emails, sending out emails, also going to hospitals or any place where I need to translate,” said Pradhan.
Pradhan learned English when he moved to the United States in elementary school. The first-generation learner says he aims to be a role model for his brother and 15 younger cousins by showing them how you can self-make your success with drive and seeking out the right resources.
“I try to set my best example for them as the oldest, and I always try to help them out just in case they need it. Because I have gotten here and I want to help them achieve the things I have,” he said.
But Prahad’s help will soon be significantly less as he plans to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology next year, focusing on mechanics and mechatronics.
It’s a full circle moment for engineering teacher Jim Dirmaier.
“Students that are at a higher level and are a little more progressed, it’s their duty, not just what I want out of them, but what they should get out of the class – to help other students. He’s been part of that on both sides,” said Dirmaier.
Pradhan will be headed to school in Rochester with free tuition thanks to a Bill Gates Scholarship, which is awarded to only 750 students in the country.