Bianca Gallegos
He skipped fifth grade yet barely graduated high school.
He flunked most of his classes his first semester in college but is now wanted by top universities in the country.
Everyone has story to tell. But rare to find, is a dynamic one such as Pierce College honor student Patrick “Tim” Simons.
He is a prodigy.
Personal obstacles and uphill battles did not discourage the resilient Simons.
A computer and electrical engineer major, the 21-year-old Simons has been accepted to some of the top universities in the country: UC Berkeley (UCB), UCLA and UC Irvine (UCI).
Additionally UCI gave him the Chancellor’s Achievement Scholar Award, a merit based scholarship that guarantees him tuition and on campus housing.
Simons first learned about Chancellor’s Achievement Scholar Award from a message his mom left him on his cell phone.
“I was pretty surprised,” said Simons. “I didn’t apply for anything. I couldn’t believe it, I thought to myself ‘No, they are kidding. They are just joking.'”
Initially Simons was having a difficult time deciding between attending UCB or UCI.
Berkeley electrical engineering program is ranked number one in the country and Irvine is offering to pay for his education.
But after visiting UCB, Simons said the school was “awesome.”
“At first I was intimidated by the prestige and excellence about that school but after visit the campus and talking to students and counselors I feel I could excel.”
Some try to convince him otherwise, like his biology teacher from Valley College who tells him to go to UC Irvine because his scholarship will pay for his studies.
But Simons doesn’t want his financial needs to be the deciding factor.
“I’m 99 percent sure that I will go to Berkeley but I still have to figure out how I will pay for school,” said Simons, who doesn’t qualify for financial aid and still has to see if he will be able to take out $40,000 in loans to pay for UCB.
Through teacher recommendations and high test scores, Simons skipped fifth grade.
He said he’s always been mature and for this reason he always felt out of place amongst his peers.
“Then I started focusing on fitting in.” Simons said he hung out with the wrong crowd. “I got into fights all the time in school. I barely graduated from high school.”
A graduate of Canyon High School in Palmdale, Calif. Simons graduated at 16 and started living on his own.
After high school he worked at a restaurant called “California Fresh Foods.”
Six months into the job, Simons was promoted to system manager.
Six months later he got an internship with the Law Office of Robert Brennan where he worked for three years.
Working as a junior paralegal helped develop his writing and interest in law.
Simons’ future goals are to go to law school and practice intellectual and property law.
“People are only victims if they choose to be,” he said in a personal statement.
“I believe that man can only be defined by actions, not the presence of others.”
Simmons said he chooses to live his life with “honesty, integrity and passion.”
“Only thereafter am I truly defined.”