Bryan Wood is not your typical student. At age 14, he was starting college classes at Fresno City College. By 16, he was already attending Fresno State.
Fast forward four years, Wood, now 19, is a senior civil engineering student and recipient of the William R. Hearst/California State University trustees award for outstanding achievement, the highest recognition of student achievement in the CSU system.
One student is named annually from each of the 23 campuses. The award honors students who have overcome financial needs and experienced personal hardships, while still being able to achieve exemplary academic performance, community service and personal accomplishments.
“It is an honor to have been chosen and counted among the other scholars who have overcome huge obstacles in their lives,” Wood said.
Obstacles started early for Wood in elementary school. He was never taught to write properly and skipped the first grade completely due to overcrowding at his local elementary school while growing up in Caruthers.
“I struggled with writing for many years and only overcame that hardship when I started home schooling with my mom,” said Wood.
The decision to start home schooling came in the sixth grade when due to his younger brother’s learning disabilities, his parents felt it would be easier for his mom to teach them both at home.
“Home schooling meant I had to learn to motivate myself as well as teach myself,” Wood said.
After years of home schooling, he went on to attend Glacier High School but was told as a freshman he would not be able to attend Fresno State after graduation, as the school did not have a full college prep program. Instead, Wood decided to take classes at Fresno City College in his sophomore year in high school.
Yet with that came the new challenge of being around older classmates. Additionally, Wood said he had to prove himself “to professors as it was obvious a young kid was in their class.”
“Taking college courses as a young teenager, I had to learn to conduct myself maturely and in a manner that my fellow students were not resentful of my presence,” Wood said. “I also did not have the life experiences my fellow classmates had to draw from because of being home schooled and younger than my peers.”
After earning enough credits to attend Fresno State, Wood turned 16 and got his driver’s license the week after his high school graduation.
“I have worked hard to be where I am today,” Wood said. “I home schooled to help my brother, so I gave up being with students my own age as I felt helping my brother with his disabilities was very important.
“I gave up a lot of fun time in order to complete high school in three years so I could attend Fresno State as a freshman” he said.
Reflecting on his own experiences, Wood said “regardless of the struggles that you face, there is help and hope.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t give up if you fail. Keep others in mind who may have issues of their own they are working to overcome,” he said. “Having the highest grade doesn’t make someone better than someone else. Having the lowest grade doesn’t make you any worse.
“My brother is highly intelligent, but his learning disabilities are preventing him from being a 4.0 student, and he will never be able to spell or do some other tasks. He is proof that grades aren’t everything, and there is no shame in getting help.”
Throughout his time at Fresno State, Wood has also given his time to others, through activities such as working as a tutor in the Learning Center, volunteering through his church and assisting in engineering events on campus.
He was the captain of the steel bridge team at the American Society of Civil Engineers Mid-Pacific Student Conference last year, and this year will continue on as co-captain of the team while overseeing the entire Mid-Pac competition.