Boardman man earns his bachelor's in 2 years

The 20-year-old graduates with a 4.0 grade-point average.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- One of the first things Brian Katz intends to do after picking up his Youngstown State University diploma Saturday is to take a 10-day vacation trip to New York City.
He's earned it.
The 20-year-old Boardman man has completed his undergraduate degree requirements in just two years instead of the normal four, attending classes year-round and carrying semester loads of 23 and 24 credits.
A normal semester schedule is 15 credits.
Katz, son of Atty. Louis and Catherine Katz, said he hasn't been on vacation since he was 12 or 13 years old. His summers have all been spent in school. His first college class started the day after his high school commencement ceremony.
He has no regrets about spending so much time on his education.
He graduated from Boardman High School with a 3.96 grade-point average and leaves YSU with a 4.0, earning him summa cum laude honors for his degree in chemistry with a medical science influence.
His days of studying aren't over.
He will begin classes this fall at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown to pursue a medical degree.
He hasn't decided exactly what his specialty will be.
Loves learning
"Right now, I'm just keeping my options open and learning as much as I can about everything," he said. "The more I learn about a subject, the more I like that subject."
"I like learning, and I enjoy studying," Katz said, noting that good grades just seemed to follow his study habits.
"I just work hard. I learned a lot and that's the thing I care most about," he said.
In addition to graduating with honors, Katz earned the YSU Best In Class recognition given to the top 1 percent of students and is a member of several honor fraternities and societies.
Although he likes studying, that doesn't mean he spent every minute with his nose in a book.
He played intramural volleyball and soccer at YSU and found time to serve as an officer in both the Jewish Council for YSU Students and the campus arm of the Indian National Student Association.
Katz said he was able to manage his time carefully to allow hours for study as well as hours for play and relaxation.
He lived on campus both years and said he found it important to make time for a social life.
"You need to have your own personal time. You need to have fun and take part in normal college life," he said.
Katz was a member of the Boardman High School swim team and said he still tries to swim about an hour a day between classes, "just to clear my head."
Ready for the challenge
He said he already has friends enrolled at NEOUCOM and has no qualms about being one of the youngest medical students there.
"I think YSU did a real good job of preparing me," Katz said. "I do take what I do seriously. I get a reward out of it -- I'm not learning useless information."
There will be another young student enrolling there in the fall who is very close to him, his girlfriend, Ashley Smith of Stow.
Like Katz, she is also completing her undergraduate degree in just two years, though at the University of Akron, and intends to pursue a medical career.
Their schedules are very busy right now, but they still try to see each other every other weekend, Katz said.
Ties to YSU run strong in his family.
His father is a management professor at the university.
An older brother, Jason, graduated from YSU and the University of Akron Law School and now works for the Justice Department.
A second older brother, Steven, is a senior at YSU but won't graduate this year.
His older sister, Laura, graduated from the university and works as a respiratory therapist at Trumbull Memorial Hospital.
Katz said his mother likes to take classes at YSU just "for fun."
He said he'll look for a summer job after his trip to New York and spend the rest of his time "just recharging the batteries for medical school."
gwin@vindy.com