Not getting accepted into Edison High School’s STEM academy does not obviate success.  Though the academy provides students with a multitude of opportunities, anybody else can achieve the same success if they are willing to put in the work.  EHS Alumni Deshna Doshi ‘21 definitely sets the precedent for anybody who wasn’t accepted into STEM. 

Doshi took a plethora of honors and AP courses during her time at EHS. She took Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, Honors Algebra 2, and Honors Pre-Calculus. Her AP courses were AP Language & Composition, AP US History, AP Literature & Composition, AP World History, AP Macroeconomics & Microeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Physics. Despite the rigor of all these courses, Doshi excelled and paved a path of success for herself. Doshi is currently attending the Rutgers Honors College, and she is double majoring in Computer Science and Electrical/Computer Engineering. She plans on going to a graduate school, and she intends to work in cybersecurity in the future. 

EE: How did EHS help prepare you for the Rutgers Honors program? 

DD: I think because I took so many AP classes in high school and the teachers were so intent on us taking a college level course helped me anticipate what college would be like. College is very independent and time management is an important skill that is needed. Luckily, I was able to prepare for college through the skills I learned in my AP classes. 

EE: What was one of your biggest academic lows?How did you improve and move forward?

DD: In my sophomore year, my third marking period in chemistry was probably the worst I have ever done in any class. I think I had a C for the majority of the marking period. A lot of my self worth in high school was based off of academics, so this was a really low point for me. However, the teachers were always willing to help. Mr. Evans was very helpful, which helped me to move past this point. I also learned that it isn’t healthy to base all of your self worth off of your grades. I know it can be hard to stop worrying about your GPA, but in retrospect, I wish I had done that.  

EE: What was one club/activity (in or outside of school) that helped you prepare for college in general?

DD: I was always super active in the Science National Honors Society in high school. I had the time of my life for four years. In terms of preparing me for college, I’ll say time management once again. I was president of the French National Honors Society, and I was a part of the French Club during my senior year. There’s a lot of working in groups in college, and the leadership skills that I gained from French Club really helped me. Shoutout to Ms.  Loria too—she was amazing!

EE: What was your favorite AP course at EHS? Why?

DD: I think I have two. My absolute favorite was definitely AP Calculus AB. Mrs. Harris was definitely fantastic, and she made the class so fun. Math has always been my favorite so I’m a little biased, but my teacher made math more fun than it usually is. Ms. Tierney taught AP Economics, and she felt more like a friend than a teacher. We would play econ games, and she was always so invested in making sure that we did well. It was great to see how much she cared about us and our education. 

EE: How would you describe your transition from high school to college? Is there anything that you would change?

DD: I think one of the things I was not ready for at all was how difficult making friends becomes. I know a lot of people who weren’t aware of this either. In high school, you see the same people every day, and it’s easy to interact/befriend them. However, in college, you don’t see the same people every day. I see some of my friends once—maybe twice—a week. Other than that, I said my transition was pretty smooth for the most part. College requires a lot more independence on your part than high school does. This is especially true if you go to school out of state, because you don’t have your parents/friends to fall back on. I guess that’s something I noticed about myself once I entered college—I didn’t need as much support as I did in high school. 

EE: Where do you hope to be ten years after graduating from Rutgers?

DD: This is going to seem so cliche, but I just want to be happy in whatever I’m doing. I also want to move out of New Jersey at some point. I also hope that I have a lot more time to do what I like. I haven’t been able to read as much as I would like to, so hopefully that changes in the future. Generically speaking, I just want to be happy wherever I am. 

EE: How do you manage stress? Did you develop these skills early on (high school) or later on (college)?

DD: I was horrible at managing stress. I did nothing to manage my stress, and I just let it pile on, meaning that I wasn’t able to function at points. In senior year, I stopped stressing so much, and that carried over into college. Though I still stress, I’ve learned to take things as they come. It’s really just one step at a time and you really have to take things as they come. 

EE: What clubs/societies/activities did you participate in at EHS?

DD: I participated in French Club and French Honors Society. They were the highlight of my four years at EHS. I also participated in FCCLA for three years. We created a hospitality business. We basically made a hotel and we planned everything out. Essentially, we did everything that goes into an actual business for FCCLA. We got to do some really creative and unique projects, and I was super excited to go to all the events. Those three were my main clubs, but I also participated in Science National Honors Society and UNICEF. 

EE: What inspired you to pursue cybersecurity? Do you think you would’ve ever considered going down a path that did not include this field?

DD: During my freshman year, I wanted to get the CTE requirement over with. I already took financial literacy, and I wanted to save art for my senior year when everything would be difficult. I ended up taking C++, and my parents really encouraged me to take it. I ended up loving it so much that I took it all four years during high school. I honestly love it so much that I can’t see myself doing anything else. As much as I love science, I can’t see myself going into it. This field is pretty much it for me, and I’m excited to see where it takes me!

EE: Finally, what are some words of advice you would like to give students at EHS? What words of encouragement do you have for those students who also have dreams of going to the Rutgers Honors program?

DD: The four of high school go by so quickly, and you don’t even realize it until you’re at graduation, throwing your cap into the air. Take time out of your day to do the things you love. You never know what you might love. I decided to go to a French Club meeting once during my freshman year, and I ended up loving it so much that I stuck with it for four years. Basically, always make time for the activities you enjoy. As for the aspiring Rutgers Honors kids, you should always have confidence in yourself. As long as you do everything you can, that is what matters at the end of the day. If you really put your mind to it, you can succeed. Everybody and anybody can be successful regardless of what college they go to.