The Carlmont High School graduate is now studying at the Haas School of Business.
Tristan Sheldon arrived at Cañada College in 2009 as a very shy
Carlmont High School graduate. When he earned his Cañada diploma in May of 2012
with a degree in business administration he had grown into a confident leader,
ready to face his newest challenge – studying at Cal’s prestigious Hass School
of Business.
“Cañada changed my life,” Sheldon said. “It was the best choice I have
made so far in my life. Cañada’s motto ‘From Here You Can Go Anywhere’ is such
a true statement. I have had friends and classmates at Cañada that have
received letters of acceptance from so many top universities, not just in California,
but from around the country.”
While Cañada provided Sheldon with support, the journey wasn’t easy.
When he graduated from Carlmont in 2008 he had a 2.6 high school GPA, no
extracurricular activities, and a mediocre SAT score. He decided to take some
time off from academics and worked full time at Electronic Arts in Redwood
Shores as a game tester.
“After about four months in that job I realized that if I didn’t get a
college degree this is the job that I would be working in the rest of my life,”
he said. “I started looking at community colleges around the area. My mom
actually graduated from CañadaCañada so I enrolled.”
Sheldon walked onto campus an incredibly shy person who avoided
interaction with fellow students and professors as much as possible. “I used to
cringe or pretend that I was going to the bathroom when the professor initiated
an icebreaker at the beginning of the semester.”
But then Sheldon found the Associated Students of Cañada College and
Phi Theta Kappa, the school’s honor society. He met people and began to develop
leadership skills. “I am now a much more open person and enjoy meeting new
people. This skill has proven invaluable at Cal, especially at Haas, because
business is a lot about effective communication.”
Sheldon said traveling to Nashville, Tennessee for the annual PTK
International Convention forced him to face his fear of being in front of
crowds. “Our chapter won the fourth most distinguished chapter out of 1,300
chapters so we had to accept our award in front of the entire convention.
Walking up to collect the award with my co-president Karina Gonzalez De Graaf
was one of the most nerve-raking moments of my entire life. Karina wanted to
start skipping and taking the long way around the auditorium and I just wanted
to get up to the stage and back to my seat as quickly as possible.”
Sheldon earned the Student Leadership Award at Cañada’s Commencement
Ceremony for his contributions to ASCC and PTK.
Sheldon also rose to the academic challenges he faced at Cañada. “Economics
100, 102 and 230 helped prepare me for the similar level of work I have been
receiving here at Haas.”
He also developed strong relationships with two faculty mentors, Paul
Roscelli, Professor of Economics, and Leonor Cabrera, Professor of Accounting. Both
agreed that, initially, given Sheldon’s approach to academics, it would be
difficult for him to achieve his goal of studying at Haas.
“He was not used to looking for answers in a scholarly manner,”
Roscelli said. “I have to admit that my first reaction, one shared by Professor
Cabrera, was that his chances of being accepted to Haas, given the way he did
his work, were slim and none. To my surprise, he evolved over time into a very
astute scholar, especially as it relates to numbers and finance.”
Roscelli said Sheldon emerged as a campus leader, willing to give up
his time for the college community and his honor society. “He became extremely
involved on our campus and his impact continues to echo throughout Cañada.”
Sheldon said Cañada has an assortment of many outstanding professors
but that Roscelli and Cabrera were his two favorites. “Their courses in
economics and accounting have helped tremendously at Cal. They provided an
exceptional foundation for which I was able to grow academically. Professor
Roscelli was instrumental in guiding our Phi Theta Kappa chapter and Professor
Cabrera helped me solidify my choice to purse a business administration degree
at Cal.”
Sheldon said he’s grateful for the education he received at Cañada
because his experience at Cal has been overwhelming. “It’s like trying to
sightsee while traveling 500 mph down a freeway in a rocket car,” he said.
While I would like to look around at the scenery, I have to stay focused on
what’s in front of me so that I don’t crash. At Cal, everything around me has
been moving so fast; deadlines for assignments, internship season, and in
general, Cal life.”
Sheldon said studying at Cal wouldn’t be possible without the second
chance he received at Cañada. “It was a chance for me to discover who I really
was as a person and experience a different perspective on life. When I
graduated in 2012 I was both happy but also sad. I was happy that I was moving
on to a top business school but I was sad that I was leaving behind some many
treasured connections that I developed with faculty and peers.”
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