Sunday, September 26, 1999
Perfect score just the beginning
Volunteering, school keep teen-ager busy
BY DIONNE BRADDIX
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Some people might say that Gaurav Shukla is perfect, and not just because of his grades and a perfect ACT score.
The 17-year-old St. Xavier High School senior's list of other achievements is pretty impressive, too.
Besides a series of top academic honors, he achieved a perfect score on his college entrance exam (one of only four in the state and 31 in the country). That earned him a letter of commendation from President Clinton.
But he also leads or takes part in a ton of extracurricular and community service activities, while helping his dad with a weekly radio show on the music and culture of India.
“I try to make myself as extraordinary as possible,” Gaurav said. “I definitely got my work ethic from my parents. They're both perfectionists. I try to do my best.”
His best includes creating the Hindu Student Council, a Tristate group that organizes high school and college Hindu students, and volunteering at Mercy Hospital in Fairfield and the Kumon center in a West Chester church.
His parents, Drs. Rakesh and Mira Shukla, are directors of the center.
Kumon is a supplemental method of learning, focusing on teaching math and reading skills. His mother attributes Kumon, as well as a combination of family traits and intelligence, to her son's success.
“He's like Mom ... I have a type A personality,” she said. “He manages his time very well. He cuts his sleeping time and, as a mom, I keep telling him he needs that. He will go next year and what will I do? My hands have been cut!”
Don DiGiacomo, assistant principal of St. Xavier High School, said that Gaurav is the type of person the school tries to nurture and highlight.
“What he's doing here per meates through the grades,” Mr. DiGiacomo said. “He's affecting younger guys. He really does a great job working with the younger kids.”
Gaurav's 13-year-old brother, Veibhav, is also an overachiever. He will soon become an Eagle Scout and is involved in activities at Lakota Ridge Junior School, including jazz band, tennis and baseball.
The India-born Shuklas immigrated in 1979 and moved to the Cincinnati area in 1982, when Rakesh got a job teaching at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Gaurav hasn't chosen a college or field of study.
“Hopefully I'll just be doing something I love — just enjoying life and working,” he said.
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