The Open Door Education Foundation and Extensity’s other Spring 2003 scholarship recipient is Vlad Kaplun. Vlad came to the United States from Russia at the tender age of six. Leaving Russia in 1989 was very difficult for Vlad and his family because they had to leave behind all of their money. Having grown up in New York City, Vlad developed a broad cultural view of the world, in which he fused his Russian heritage with his “new” country.

Vlad was accepted to one of New Jersey’s most competitive high schools, The Academy of Medical Science Technology, whose mission is to prepare its students for careers in medicine. However, in his sophomore year, Vlad decided that he no longer wanted to become a doctor. Instead of leaving the high school, Vlad decided to remain and benefit from their advanced facilities and excellent coursework.

Two years ago, Vlad moved to California with a new goal in mind: to graduate from the University of California. After several conversations with the college’s administrators he knew exactly how many hours he had to complete community college before transferring to the University. That’s when Vlad decided to go to Diablo Valley College. He will be enrolling at University of California in the Fall of 2003.

Some of Vlad’s interests range from networking, graphics and software development. He has completed a long-term internship with wireless ISP Wave2Wave Communications, located in Hackensack, NJ.

The Open Door and Extensity scholarship was a welcome gift, since Vlad’s recent arrival California may make him ineligible, at least for while, for the lower tuition fees at the University of California-Berkeley enjoyed by in-state students. Vlad is currently supporting himself as library aide at the Berkeley Public Library, which he credits for greatly expanding his literary horizons.