Rhodes scholar drops in on Norcross alma mater on Atlanta

He's been seen on TV commercials and glossy recruitment ads for UGA, a valedictorian turned Rhodes scholar with an impressive future.

Deep Shah, 23, one of Greater Atlanta Christian School's favorite "sons," returned to his Norcross alma mater this week during a break from studies at Oxford University.

"It is my joy to have known Deep since he was in kindergarten," GAC President David Fincher said. "All along, we knew he was a unique young man who was exceptionally gifted and would accomplish great things."

Shah hails from a family that served up ambition with their breakfast cereal.

His parents, Drs. J.J. and Meena Shah, graduated at the top of their classes at Baroda Medical College in India in the mid-1970s. They came to United States a few years later with their medical degrees and $80. Now, they own Gwinnett Clinic, a multimillion-dollar medical enterprise with 19 offices across metro Atlanta.

Their youngest child, Deep graduated as valedictorian of GAC in 2004, just as his older sisters Asha and Shveta did before him. The girls, who had perfect SAT scores, also are doctors. Deep Shah, a three-time class president, was the first GAC student to achieve a perfect PSAT score. As a senior he had a record-high grade-point average of 4.85.

"Everyone who is successful has had a lot of mistakes and setbacks," Shah told his audience. In elementary school , he was not selected for "gifted" classes because of his standardized test scores.

"I thought that meant I wasn't smart," he said.

And when he applied for early admission to Harvard University, he was wait-listed. Shah later received the University of Georgia's most prestigious scholarship, the UGA Foundation Fellowship. He graduated last May with a 3.99 grade-point average. "I had one A-minus in Spanish," he said.

Shah credits his family at home and at GAC for helping him to succeed.

"No one ... makes it alone," Shah told students. "Take advantage of the people around you. You guys are part of a special community."

When Shah finishes studying health policy at Oxford in July, he will be Boston bound for medical school- at Harvard.