Jacob Kalathoor just began his Santaluces high school experience 8,851 miles away from his home land, India. Part of being one of many foreign students, Kalathoor has made a mark on Santaluces high school.
Kalathoor came to Florida at the tender age of two and went back to India during his freshmen and sophomore year of high school. Attending a boarding school at that time, the education and lifestyle differed from America. According to Kalathoor, in America, the policy is if you want to succeed, you will go out there and try to succeed. However in India, their system concerning education is that you cannot fail, failing is out of the question. Another difference in India is the literacy level. The area where Kalathoor lived had a 91% literacy rate and 100% in the country, which could explain Kalathoor’s outstanding academic excellence.
In addition to success in India, Kalathoor scored success here at Santaluces. He’s only a junior and is the president of the French Club, is in the National French Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. Kalathoor scored a 2100 on the SAT the first time and is aiming for a score of 2250. In the future, Kalathoor wants to become a heart surgeon and in the summer of 2014, Kalathoor was invited by Stanford University to shadow and perform a cardiothoracic surgery.
”I come from a family of doctors and chose to be a heart surgeon because I want to help people with heart issues,” said Kalathoor. ”Also, the biggest influence in my life driving me to become a better and successful man is my grandfather. He is a pediatrician, and I want to follow in his footsteps.”
Outside of school, Jacob Kalathoor is a humanitarian. During the previous winter break, he volunteered for two weeks at Mother Teresa’s Orphange, aiding children in need. And every Friday, Kalathoor volunteers at the Bethesda Hospital.
”My parents have set a strong foundation in our household,” said Kalathoor. “We were raised to help others.”
Away from the school life, Kalathoor takes interest in playing the saxophone and bettering himself as a person.
”Jacob Kalathoor is probably the most genuine person I ever met,” said senior Nick Perera. ”He is a pleasure in and out of school.”
