Richard Glazunov began his journey at Kingsborough Community College two years ago after an encouraging talk with a friend. His original plan was to become a police officer.

“My buddy messaged me that he had been accepted to Princeton, Stanford, and Harvard. He said, ‘Hey, you should apply to these schools yourself.’ I didn’t believe him. I didn’t think it was possible. I hadn’t started my time at community college yet. My intent was to start at community college and figure it out. I didn’t have faith in myself, and I didn’t know how I would do in school since I was not a great student in high school. I had a 2.1 GPA when I graduated,” said Richard, explaining that he attended the College of Staten Island for a year upon his parents’ insistence. “I ended up dropping all my classes for the spring semester and joining the military. That was something I always wanted to do. My brother was in the Marines; he did two tours in Iraq. When I was in the military, I decided I wanted to be a medic.”

Richard went on to spend five years in the Navy, where he received medical training to serve as a medic for a Marine infantry platoon. After serving, Richard followed his plan and continued his academic journey at KCC, majoring in allied health. But the challenge continued.

Although he had a 4.0 average in his first year, he was waitlisted by his chosen Ivy League colleges. “I applied last year, not to Harvard but to other schools, and I didn’t get the choices I wanted. I got a couple of state schools like Stony Brook and was waitlisted for almost everything. That was very disheartening,” he confessed. “I didn’t even send letters of intent because I was so burned out.”

But this year, even after his GPA dropped to 3.92 (after receiving a B in a class), he was offered full packages to Princeton, Stanford, Cornell, and Harvard! What made the difference? “Before, I had a 4.0 but barely had any STEM classes, no extracurricular activity, and yet all of my essays were medical-school focused. Since that summer, I attended a Warrior-Scholar Project bootcamp, which is widely recognized for its 80-hour work weeks and prepares you for higher education. That gave me confidence.”

Richard enrolled in classes that were focused on STEM, including calculus, biology and physics and became a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society. He also worked as a work-study student with Tara Yarczower, director and certifying official of KCC’s Military and Veteran Affairs Office/MAVA, leading the re-boot of the long dormant veterans’ club, holding events and helping veterans apply to more selective schools. “I think that made my application stand out,” he said. “I could have done more but didn’t want to spread myself too thin.”

He’s been able to put the valuable writing skills gained from his first application cycle to good use: In addition to academics, working, and the veterans club, Richard helps students with their graduate, dental, and medical school essays.

Richard is the first of his immediate family to be born and raised in the United States. His family came to the U.S. almost 27 years ago from Ukraine. At Wednesday’s commencement, he will become the first in his family to complete college – and the first to go to Harvard. These two academic accomplishments have made his family proud and left his father speechless. “My dad is a traditional Soviet father from Ukraine. He’s been proud of me, but he’s never shown it before. I called him around 8:30 p.m. the day I got accepted and his reaction was like, ‘Good job, son. I’m really proud of you.’ There was no yelling; he was really calm. He called me five more times that night. And when he saw me the next day, he just hugged me and kept hugging me for a couple of minutes. He’s not an emotional man; he doesn’t show that. He was in complete shock,” Richard recalled.

Looking back on his time at KCC, Richard remembers starting his studies in a virtual classroom during the pandemic to a campus that is now live again with student activities. "It’s still coming back. The most exciting thing for me was getting back into the classroom with people after eight years of not being in school. Having conversations, whether about science or political discussions, about what we should do and what we should focus on in this country and this city, has been my favorite part about this journey,” he shared. “I love speaking with people with different opinions and lifestyles, from all walks of life. It’s incredibly important to not just stick to your own perspective and way of life because of how you were raised or the experience you’ve been through. Let the knowledge you’ve absorbed from those who’ve had better or far more negative experiences than you influence your values and beliefs,” said Richard.

Richard is excited about being accepted into Harvard University, where he will major in government with a specific focus on public policy, and a minor in psychology. True to the Navy’s unofficial motto, non sibi sed patriae (not self, but country), he plans to use his military background to bring attention to veteran issues. “There are a lot of issues,” explained the 26-year-old. “I want to establish some reform, especially in the veteran community, because we are missing many benefits. There are a lot of veterans who aren’t serviced, especially when they get out.”