Vishesh Kothary

PROFILE: New to the US from his native India, Vishesh “Vish” Kothary enrolled in a two-year college for financial reasons. From the first class he took, he was determined to make the most of his community college experience. Once Vish, a biochemistry major who maintained a near-perfect GPA at Ventura College, began the search for a university, finding available scholarship sources was just as important. “I started researching options to finance my further education,” Vishesh said. “The very first entry on my Google search was the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.  “Ever since, the idea of becoming a Cooke Scholar, the financial security and prestige that it represents have captivated my mind and inspired me to work tirelessly towards my goals.”  

Vish’s ultimate dream is medical school. When he wasn’t hitting the books or tutoring fellow chemistry students who were having trouble with the subject material, Vish volunteered hundreds of hours as part of a Clinical Care Extenders internship. “I gained hands-on exposure to the world of medicine,” he said. Vish performed any and all tasks he was assigned – everything ranging from helping intubate a patient prior to anesthesia, clerical work, and changing diapers.

INSPIRATION: Vish said his mother has always been his greatest source of inspiration and motivation. At Ventura College, Vish looks up to chemistry professor Joy Kobayashi who encouraged him to dream big and apply to the nation’s most selective universities.

 
ASPIRATION: After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology, Vish plans on pursuing his M.D./Ph.D. degree which will integrate his interest in clinical medicine with biological research. He hopes to specialize in oncology and hematology and work on path-breaking cancer research, but his ultimate goal is for a career in academic medicine. 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE:   Vish will probably never know just how much of a difference he made in the lives of some of his fellow students at Ventura College who struggled with chemistry class until he helped them. One of his chemistry instructors at the college asked Vish to serve as a “supplemental instructor” and he jumped at the opportunity. His responsibilities included regularly-scheduled study sessions to review the more difficult coursework and he tutored students one-on one during office hours. The instructor noted that Vish’s efforts were instrumental in helping several students excel in the class.

ACCOLADES: Vish was awarded the Tata Scholarship from Cornell University and the Martin Hansen Family Memorial Scholarship from the Ventura College Foundation. In addition, he was presented with a Certificate of Outstanding Dedication from the Clinical Care Extenders internship at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, CA.

INTERESTING FACT: After graduating from high school in India, Vish was accepted into medical school there. He declined the acceptance and instead accompanied his mother to the United States where she was relocating; a very difficult decision for him to make. After some careful thinking, he decided that his goals of experiencing life in the US and pursuing a career in medicine were not mutually exclusive.