Where are they now? Akshay Kumar

We recently reached out to invite some of our alumni to be part of a special spotlight series to help us honor the legacy of the past 25 years and inspire the next generation of Ridgeview students. The first graduate to reply was Akshay Kumar, class of 2013. He joined us in first grade and stayed through graduation, soaking in all that Ridgeview has to offer.

Akshay’s journey—from Ridgeview’s hallways, to the University of Colorado Denver, medical school, and now a fellowship in Medical Toxicology—is a wonderful example of lasting friendships, passions, and skills that develop flourish here. Stories like this inspire us every day, proving that the impact of a Ridgeview education truly lasts a lifetime. Read Akshay’s story below:

I grew up in Fort Collins and started at Ridgeview Classical Schools in the first grade (with Mrs. Moessner!) and stayed all the way through graduation. Truly, it was some of the most formative years of my life, and I am incredibly grateful for my experience there. Ridgeview Classical Schools had such a unique way of invoking a deep appreciation for and critical thinking of the humanities -even at a young age- and I still carry a lot of that teaching into my daily lifestyle and practice. I now work in the medical field as a physician, and still owe a lot of my passion in the field to the science curriculum at RCS. Being engaged in science bowl, band, choir, theatre, exhausting the Latin curriculum (back then), and every class in between I have learned so much about the humanities, art, and literature that bleeds into my everyday life. My senior thesis was on the necessity of companionship, and the friends I made at Ridgeview have proven to be lifelong companions. Many of them were even at my wedding just a few months ago! Ridgeview is an educational experience like none other, and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. 

Since graduating Ridgeview with the Class of 2013 (still the best class ever in my opinion), I attended University of Colorado Denver with a Major in Biology and Minor in Leadership Studies, I then attended Medical School at Univeristy of Colorado, completed a 4-year Emergency Medicine Residency at Denver Health, and am now completing a 2-year Fellowship in Medical Toxicology. I hope to work in emergency departments as a physician and conduct research and medical education in the field of Toxicology.

Friends at Akshay’s wedding