Q&A: Brothers Karan and Krunal Patel Take Pride In Excellence

Q&A SPECIAL FEATURE

ABOVE VIDEO: Krunal and Karan Patel attend West Shore Jr./Sr. High School, which includes students from 7th through 12th grades. In 2009, West Shore was rated the 50th best high school in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Two examples of Brevard County high school students who are a credit to their family and to the school system are Krunal and Karan Patel, sons of Dr. Sangiv Patel and his wife, Sangita. Not only are the brothers exceptional students, but the boys also took the initiative to form a math tutoring club at their school which has helped many students. SpaceCoastDaily.com sat down with the two exemplary students to find out what motivates these young men to excel both in the classroom and in their many volunteer and extracurricular activities.

SPACE COAST DAILY:  What schools have you attended and what have you achieved?

KARAN PATEL:  I am currently a senior, enrolled at West Shore Jr./Sr. High School. I have been at West Shore since seventh grade and have enjoyed every year. I have been recognized for my work in several classes along with my extracurricular activities and volunteer services. Classes where I have won awards include Algebra, Geometry, Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Art, and Computer Graphics. Awards regarding my volunteer services include my work for the Math Tutoring Club, which I created with my brother Krunal. Within two years, our club has tutored over 500 students and we have logged more than 300 hours of tutoring to help others.

Other awards that I am also proud to have received are the Brevard County Leadership Award for our Math Tutoring Club and the Brevard County School’s Volunteer Leader Award for the charity work I have done during our 2011 Family Medical Mission in India.

KRUNAL PATEL:  I have attended West Shore Jr. / Sr. High from seventh grade until now. At West Shore, I have maintained a 4.0 G.P.A and received numerous awards, such as the Spanish III award. I was also elected Vice President of Quill and Scroll (a publications club) and I am co-creator and president of our Math Tutoring Club.

SPACE COAST DAILY: What schools do you plan to attend in the future and what courses do you want to take?

KARAN PATEL: I plan on attending Nova Southeastern University for the Dual Degree Dental Program. I plan on taking advanced classes in Biology and Math to acquire the skills that are necessary for this profession.

KRUNAL PATEL: I am undecided on where I would like to attend school in the future. I plan on either majoring in cardiology, business, or both.

SPACE COAST DAILY: Which teachers have helped you to figure out what you want to do and how have they helped you?

KARAN PATEL: My math and science teachers at West Shore assisted me on deciding the path I will take later in my life. Mrs. Narvaez,  my AP Chemistry teacher;  Mr. Thomas, my math teacher for Algebra/Geometry and Mrs. Anderson have helped me by assuring me of my belief that I had a gift and enjoyment for these subjects. They have always complemented me and have always shown great confidence in my ability to answer any question/problems I had. However, these math and science teachers were not the only ones to help me figure out my future career and life.

My art teacher Mrs. Zinc  and Mr. Finch, mycomputer graphics teacher came up to me alone and personally complemented me on my creativity and my dexterity. I love to create art and do art projects and they helped me realize that a career in dentistry would best integrate all of my talents – math science and art.

KRUNAL PATEL:  The two teachers who have influenced me the most are probably my math teacher Mr. Thomas and my science teacher Mrs. Jenkins. Mr. Thomas was my first math teacher at West Shore. He made math class a fun experience that I shall never forget.

For this reason, I made him the teacher sponsor of my Math Tutoring Club. My love for numbers has influenced me to go into business. Additionally, Mrs. Jenkins has had a huge influence on me. She enhanced my love for science and has reinforced my decision to go into medicine. I must also give credit to my guidance counselor, Mrs. Lovel who has led me to success and has spent numerous hours assisting me to make sure I plan and do everything correctly.

SPACE COAST DAILY:What are your career goals and why?

KARAN PATEL: I plan on becoming a dentist with a goal to make all people healthier and to carry on my father’s legacy as a dentist. I plan on finishing my Doctor of Dental Surgery from NOVA and then I want to establish my personal dental practice. I want to learn what it means to not only to be a dentist but to also be a businessman since I plan on having my own practice.

I have worked part-time during my high school career as a Quiznos Sandwich Artist and earned money for my fun activities. As for carrying out the legacy of my father in this profession, my goal is to expand on his ideas or even come up with a revolutionary idea of my own and improve the profession of dentistry to where patients are given the best care possible care.

KRUNAL PATEL:  My career goals are to either become a cardiologist or a businessman. I want to go into cardiology because I would love to help save lives. Additionally, I am interested in business because I love numbers and enjoy taking risks.

SPACE COAST DAILY:  What are your most important values and why?

KARAN PATEL: I value truthfulness the most because it is the basis of almost every action. Whether it is giving someone information or performing an action like surgery on someone, trust must always be there. As a dentist, I want patients to feel comfortable with my work because I want to establish trust with them. I will not achieve my goal of making all people healthy if I am not trusted by others. I want them to know me as a caring person and want them to know I am there for them and not there for financial motives.

KRUNAL PATEL: My most important values are my family and education. My family has been with me my whole life. I have been with them forever and hope to be with them forever. I also value my education because this is what will let me mature into an independent and successful man.

SPACE COAST DAILY: Which people have had the most influence on you and why?

KARAN PATEL:  My parents are the most influential people in my life. They have given me the support, and unconditional love that is needed to mature in ways that best prepare me for my future. I have taken their advice throughout my life and when I look back at the times where they helped me, everything went the way I wanted to. The success and happiness they have led me to have in my life makes them the most influential people to me.

KRUNAL PATEL: My dad has had a huge influence on me as he has pushed me and mentored me from the beginning and has transformed me into a mature person. My mom has also had a huge influence on me because she has taught me very valuable life lessons and has helped me through numerous tough situations. Lastly, my brother has been my right-hand man. He is always there for me and I can count on him for anything.

SPACE COAST DAILY: What are you most proud of and why?

KARAN PATEL: I am most proud of my acceptance into NOVA’s Dual Degree Dental Program because it shows what my work throughout my school career amounted to. I was able to guarantee a spot in dental school as a high school student. This was a program where many apply and few get in. Being one of the people who was accepted, I was able to realize that I have done some great work.

KRUNAL PATEL: I would have to say I am most proud of my mom, dad, and brother. They have all had an equally important impact on me.

Dr. Sangiv Patel Co-Founder of Ma Krupa

Krunal and Karan Patel are chips off the old block as their father, Dr. Sangiv Patel, is a Central Florida Humanitarian in honor of his work on behalf of the poverty-stricken and medically needy. [CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]

SPACE COAST DAILY: What volunteer work have you done and why and what have you learned from that work?

KARAN PATEL: From my volunteer work, I have learned how to act professionally and learned how to communicate with people that I have never met before. These are important life skills that one should always have. More importantly, I learned about the benefits of giving back with no expectation in return. I had never thought of myself as selfish, but being self-less made me move further away from becoming greedy and self-minded.

KRUNAL PATEL:  Once, I volunteered at a medical camp in India over winter break. At the camp, we assisted patients cost-free and helped them improve their lives. Additionally, I have created and been president of the Math Tutoring Club at West Shore. At the club, we tutor kids for free in math and help them understand anything they have conflicts with. Personally, I would volunteer myself to do anything for the benefit of others. This work has taught me to be unselfish. I have realized that I should do whatever I can to assist others in achieving success.

SPACE COAST DAILY: What things do you like to do for fun?

KARAN PATEL:  The most fun I have is when I play sports or make art. I am able to let my mind think and do what it wants with no restrictions as to: is this appropriate at this time? Will people like what I do? In both activities, I find that there is no winning or losing, which makes it relaxing and freeing to me.

KRUNAL PATEL:  I like to play basketball, PlayStation, or hang out with family and friends for fun.

SPACE COAST DAILY:  Who are the people that you would most like to emulate and why?

KARAN PATEL:   The person I emulate the most is my father. From his personality to his physical appearance (as I have heard from several people), I find that I strive to be like him. His life is one of success and strength. His childhood and past life have taught me to be strong in life’s toughest moments.

KRUNAL PATEL:  My father because he has been my true motivation and I would like to be just like him.

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