Aurora South

My name is Parag Patel and I am the Dean for the Lakewood site. I believe every student has a path to reach their goals and I love being able to work with students to help them find and follow their personal path to success.“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” My favorite teacher shared this Gandhi quote with me back during my junior year of high school and I try to remember those words each day. I have followed a winding road of work and life experiences, and approaching each day with those words in mind has allowed me to enjoy all of them… mostly. Approaching each day with the mindset of learning as if I was going to live forever has allowed me to develop the art of being able to communicate with most anyone about most anything. From teaching children of all ages while working in schools, to assisting users as a help desk analyst, to helping victims of child or elder abuse, to working in different careers that have allowed me to utilize this skill in different ways, I’ve learned that effective communication is at the core of success. Approaching each day with the mindset of living as if I will die tomorrow doesn’t mean I’m jumping out of airplanes (though I have) or drag racing at midnight (that’s just crazy). Living with this mindset has allowed me to experience life more fully and connect with people more deeply. From spending as much time as possible with the people I love and care about, to telling people what they mean to me instead of waiting until the right time, to having in depth conversations with people I meet throughout the day, to working in different careers that have allowed me to make connections with people in different ways, I’ve learned that making connections and bonds with other people is at the core of living a fulfilled life.