A gifted Dandenong student will study at the United States’ most prestigious entrepreneurship college.
Shang Zhao will start classes at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts on 28 August.
The school accepted only 24 per cent of applicants to its 2018 admission round.
“From when I was young my parents have told me the schools in the United States were the best, so I always had that in the back of my mind,” he said.
“When I applied to Babson, I wanted to focus on technology.
“But, at the end of the day, I will most likely just grab any opportunity I can see.”
Mr Zhao graduated from Nossal High School last year and pursued his goal to study abroad with help from tutors and strategists at academic mentoring company Crimson Education.
In his Babson application essay, he wrote about his family’s experience as immigrants from China and his father’s wish for a better life for his son.
“I wrote about how my dad wanted me to not become like him because he needs to work really hard in his small business,” Shang said.
“My dad did three years of university in Australia as an international student, but that didn’t position him in a professional job – although he scored very highly.
“He had to start his own business to show that he was capable, and he did support our family.
“He really wanted me to get a good education in a top US university so that I would not have to go through what he did – but, instead, start at a high position.”
