please make the below parent statement for child admissions to Ivy league school
My son Leonidas Varvitsiotis is a Greek American Citizen, who was born and raised in Hong Kong. He is an extremely mature and a well travelled global citizen. I am grateful for this opportunity to tell the admissions council how blessed I am to be his father, and how fortunate (your school name) will be to include him to be among your student and future alumni community.
I believe my background is relevant as I am a first generation Greek American citizen, who’s parents came to the US several years after WW2. They came to the US with no education, no money, and were armed with nothing but the American dream. I attended Boston University for Undergrad playing D1 Football there, and then attend Yale University for my MBA graduating in 2000. They instilled a powerful set of core values in me, and I in my son. This is relevant to Leonidas’s story.
Leonidas is full of natural intellectually curiosity, and has always enjoyed learning for learning’s sake. From age 7, Leonidas has founded several successful small businesses Buy Real Fossils being one of the most prominent.
As early as age six, Leonidas would create naturalists projects during on our daily magical morning walks through Hong Kong Botanical Gardens Park on the way to his beloved Island Christian Academy School. It did not take too long until large sections of our home were taken over by Leonidas biological ecosystem projects. He captured cray fish, frogs, turtles, fish, lizards, newts, and limitless creatures he found in HK’s various wilderness and jungles. Leonidas always including his two year younger brother Philip, and together they studied, observed, and cared for these creatures even facilitating their reproduction, and release back into the jungles of HK.
Last year Leonidas became remarkably curios about ‘Ants’. He had me order a book from Ants Canada (some 400 pages), which he absorbed cover to cover in 48 hours. On day three, Leonidas had me go to Amazon and order an array of specific test tubes, ant colony chamber creation materials. Within two months we had some 30 queen ants of various species captured from the wild, and placed in individual test tubes. Within Six months we had some 10 fully working ant colonies going at the same time. I was astonished how quickly one his whimsical interests turned into a full blown complex Ant Colony production facility.
As a parent, I could only sit back and marvel at the innately wonderful curiosity of Leonidas who take these random ideas, which quickly transform into passions, and from there become realities. If you are looking for conventional student that fits into a certain mold. Please do not confuse this with being a ‘rebel’ as he is one of the most coachable kids you will ever meet.
At age 7 Leonidas’s Aunt bought him his first ‘Fossil’ (a Megalodon tooth) for Christmas. From that random moment, another passion was born. Shortly thereafter, Leonidas and his brother researched online and began contacting directly via email Paleontologists and Fossil dealers. They with a limited budget started building up a network to build their own impressive collection of Fossils. By age 8, a magical Idea was born by Leonidas:
Why Shouldn’t' every kid have a Fossil?
And just like that Leonidas started and launched Buy Real Fossils (please check it out), this business was initially launched via Expo Booth at his Island Christian Academy School Christmas Fair School. It was a OVERNIGHT success that goes on until today, where they sell online and ‘hand to hand’ at expos. This level of Entrepreneurship is very rare in children so young. I encourage it because they applied everything they learned at school to a singular ‘fun purpose’ turning an interest and hobby into a business.
During the strict COVID lockdowns in HK there was ‘online home school’ and Leonidas was extremely bored and frankly depressed. So what did Leonidas decide to do out of the blue? Leonidas decided to write an ‘Action Adventure’ novel: “The CAVE”, and after six months of hard work became a published author at Age 11. This book was and still is a smashing success and now sells on Amazon. For a brief time Leonidas was doing Book Tours and signings it was ranked Top 200 children’s actions books on Amazon! Leonidas not only wanted to write this book from for himself, but to inspire other children his age to be Authors as well. ‘Why cant children's books be written by children, because kids know what kids really want to read?’ (This was Leonidas’s mantra, while writing this book).
Leonidas is truly a renaissance man. He is a Brazilian-Ju-Jitsu Gold Medal HK Tournament Champion, a U14 top 40 ranked HK Premier League Basketball player (a big deal here in HK), a highly competitive snorkeler, mountain bike rider, kayaker, American Football player, and all round fierce athlete, who grinds and puts in all the hard work training not one sees (which is his ‘secret’). Dedication to his to his team and putting his team always first above himself is what makes him special. This is one of the many reason’s WHY, every team coach wants Leonidas on their team, and not against them.
Leonidas of his own volition including his younger brother Philip took on a noble cause raising awareness for abused Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDH) in need of help Hong Kong. Leonidas always loved his nanny’s growing up and respected and appreciated everything they did for him and his family. He learned about FDH’s plight from them. Leonidas and his brother Philip decided to take matters into their own hands and went out on Sunday’s (the FDH only day off) to talk to, hand out flyers, and let them know help is there for FDH’s via a reputable charity Leonidas researched helpfordomesticworkers org . I am so proud of Leonidas and Philip for choosing this noble cause to dedicate many of his weekends after Church to help the least among us.
I do not want to diminish who Leonidas is by presenting a laundry list of activities and accolades (I left so many out). What defines who Leonidas truly are his noble CHARARCTER, unyielding INTEGRITY, and limitless TENACITY to “DO GOOD”. Quite frankly, these qualities become both inspiring and contagious.
Leonidas will put his Heart, Soul, and Dedication into everything he does, any school he attends, any team he plays on, and any interest or cause he takes on will be fortunate to have Leonidas in their midst. While not perfect (who is). Leonidas will always give his perfect effort. Leonidas will always be his own harshest critic, and will help elevate and bring out the best in everyone around him. I cannot quite put into words how Leonidas ‘quite determination’ and ‘boundless positive energy’ has so greatly impacted every member of our family, his friends, his classmates, teammates, and those around him.
In closing want to impress upon whoever is reading this essay. Whatever the chemistry or make of your schools periodic table of students, and alumni community. Leonidas will be like the element of Carbon bringing that intangible bonding component to link together individual student community members at (your school) into vastly greater, and distinctively profound compounds than ever before imagined.
I believe any school that he choose to attend would be the greater for it, and that upon graduation you will have a model alumni that will not only carry your school banner with pride, but provide a lifelong commitment of service to your schools mission, its students, and alumni.
Yours Sincerely,
George Varvitsiotis
Dear Admissions Council,
I am writing to express my deep admiration and excitement for the possibility of my son, Leonidas Varvitsiotis, being admitted to your esteemed Ivy League school. As a Greek American citizen who was born and raised in Hong Kong, Leonidas has grown up to become an incredibly mature and well-traveled global citizen. I consider myself blessed to be his father, and I believe that your school would be equally fortunate to have him as a member of your student and future alumni community.
Allow me to provide some background on myself, as I believe it is relevant to Leonidas's story. I am a first-generation Greek American citizen, with parents who immigrated to the United States several years after World War II. They arrived with no education or money, armed only with the American dream. I pursued my undergraduate education at Boston University, where I played Division 1 football, and went on to earn my MBA from Yale University in 2000. The values instilled in me by my parents have also been passed on to Leonidas, shaping his own journey.
From a very young age, Leonidas has demonstrated a natural intellectual curiosity and a genuine love for learning. At the age of seven, he founded his first successful small business, Buy Real Fossils, which quickly became one of his most prominent ventures. However, his fascination with the natural world started even earlier, as he would create naturalist projects during our daily walks through the Hong Kong Botanical Gardens Park on the way to his beloved Island Christian Academy School. Our home soon became filled with his biological ecosystem projects, where he cared for and observed creatures he found in Hong Kong's various wilderness areas and jungles. Alongside his younger brother Philip, Leonidas studied and facilitated the reproduction and release of these creatures back into the wild.
One of Leonidas's recent interests has been ants. At the age of 10, he ordered a comprehensive book on ants, absorbing its content in just 48 hours. Subsequently, he directed me to purchase the necessary materials to create an ant colony. Within a few months, we had multiple fully functioning ant colonies, each with its own queen. Witnessing how quickly Leonidas transformed a passing interest into a complex ant colony production facility left me astonished.
As a parent, I am constantly amazed by Leonidas's ability to turn random ideas into passions and, ultimately, into reality. He has proven himself to be an exceptional entrepreneur, even at such a young age. His passion for fossils led him to launch Buy Real Fossils at his school's Christmas Fair, which overnight became a success. This level of entrepreneurship is incredibly rare in children his age, and I encourage it because it integrates the knowledge he acquires at school with a fun purpose, turning an interest into a thriving business.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in Hong Kong, when schools were closed and Leonidas felt bored and restless, he decided to write an action-adventure novel titled "The CAVE." After six months of dedicated work, he became a published author at the age of 11. The book became a massive success, ranking within the top 200 bestselling children's action books on Amazon. Leonidas wrote this book not only for his own fulfillment but also to inspire other children his age to become authors. He firmly believes that children's books should be written by children themselves because they understand what their peers truly want to read.
Leonidas embodies the term "Renaissance man." He excels in various sports and activities, including being a Brazilian-Ju-Jitsu Gold Medalist in a Hong Kong tournament, a top 40 ranked player in the U14 HK Premier League Basketball, a competitive snorkeler, mountain bike rider, kayaker, American football player, and an all-around fierce athlete. His dedication, hard work, and willingness to put the team above himself make him a sought-after teammate by coaches across different sports.
Beyond his academic and athletic achievements, Leonidas has also shown a deep sense of empathy and compassion for others. He took it upon himself, along with his younger brother Philip, to raise awareness for abused Foreign Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong. The respect and appreciation he has for his former nannies led him to learn about the struggles faced by these domestic workers. Leonidas and Philip dedicated their weekends to talking to and distributing flyers to domestic helpers, letting them know about available help through a reputable charity Leonidas researched. It fills me with immense pride to witness my sons dedicating their time to help those less fortunate.
Yet, it is not merely the laundry list of activities and achievements that define Leonidas. It is his noble character, unwavering integrity, and limitless tenacity to do good. These qualities are not only inspiring; they are contagious. Leonidas will pour his heart, soul, and dedication into everything he does, whether it be academics, sports, or a cause he believes in. Any school he attends, any team he plays on, and any interest he pursues will be fortunate to have Leonidas among them. While he may not be perfect, his efforts will always be perfect, and he will continuously push himself to bring out the best in those around him.
In conclusion, I want to impress upon you the unique qualities that Leonidas will bring to your school's community. Like the element of Carbon bonding individual elements together to create profoundly impactful compounds, Leonidas will foster a sense of unity and connection among your students and alumni. I firmly believe that any school he chooses to attend will thrive because of his presence, and upon graduation, he will exemplify the values and mission of your institution. Leonidas will carry your school banner with pride and remain committed to serving your school, its students, and its alumni throughout his lifetime.
Thank you for considering Leonidas's application. I am confident that he has the potential to create extraordinary contributions to your Ivy League school.
Yours sincerely,
George Varvitsiotis