WHILE high school seniors in the United States fret about the Ivy League college admissions they so covet, Paul Jeffrey Ramirez Leopando, class valedictorian of International School Manila HS class of 2005, had a most enviable predicament?which college acceptance should he take? Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford all wanted him, and had offered him scholarships, all on early decision. That was hardly surprising, because his was an impeccably predictable academic record. He had nothing but A?s in his report cards and had SAT scores of 770 for Verbal and 760 for Math, out of a perfect 800. Scholastic Aptitude Test scores are critical to admission to US universities and are part of the college application process.

Jeff seriously thought about all the offers. Convening the members of his extended family, he explained that he was choosing Harvard and its offer of a full scholarship because of its reputation, its history and the strong appeal of the school?s location just outside Boston. Four years ago, he entered Harvard for his BA in Anthropology, and on June 4 this year graduated summa cum laude.

His parents, Levy and Sandra Leopando, had flown to Boston for the commencement rites but had no idea that their son would graduate with the highest Latin honors. It was enough of a distinct honor to have him do four years as a full scholar in the 373-year-old university. Obviously, Jeff had meant to surprise them because as he toured them on campus and the graduation venue days before the event, he, in typical low-key fashion, had pointed out a section of seats, saying, ?If I?m a summa, that is where I will sit.?

And the wonder of it is how Jeff makes it sound like this extraordinary achievement and his drive for excellence were the most natural thing to happen. ?I guess there?s something deeply satisfying about producing work that I know I can be proud of?whether it?s a project, a performance, even a dish I?m cooking, or whatever else. Why waste energy and time doing something if you?re not going to do it well?? he says.

He chose anthropology, Jess says, because he wanted to study people rather than mere statistics, charts or words on a page. Describing the discipline as the ?qualitative study of human society and culture,? he was especially interested in current issues such as economic development, ethnic conflict, transnational migration and neo-liberal reforms.

Because Harvard draws some of the brightest minds in the world in its faculty and student body, Jeff fondly remembers the institution for the ?concentration of interesting and gifted individuals? he was in constant company with day after day. Imagine taking an African history course with 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Elkins, and an introductory physics class with 2005 Nobel Laureate Roy Glauber. Commencement day meant sharing the stage with Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and novelist Joan Didion, who all received honorary degrees, and listening to Secretary of Energy Steven Chu deliver a public address. How can one not be inspired by such exposure?

Jeff says he expected to be challenged in the classroom, but was quite unprepared to discover just how much he would learn from friends and peers. During his first days on campus, he learned that his roommate from San Diego was an award-winning inventor who created a device from spare parts from his parents? garage, that converted wave energy into electricity. This impressed Jeff with the realization that invention is really seeing new possibilities and pursuing that one idea that just might change the world. Life in Harvard meant living, eating and debating with accomplished and gifted individuals who had as much to teach as the distinguished professor at the podium. ?This was an integral part of my Harvard education,? he says.

There were also his summer internships that brought him to Bolivia, Senegal and Scotland. Jeff spent the summer in rural Scotland for his senior thesis, ?Protected by Angels: Ecology and Spirituality in a North European Intentional Community.? The paper studied a communal society in northern Scotland called Findhorn, which had a completely sustainable lifestyle?from generating its own energy, to producing much of its food, to using recycled materials to build homes. A few weeks before graduation, his 100-page thesis was awarded a Hoopes Prize for outstanding scholarship.

Because of all that Harvard offered, it was mind-boggling to navigate the landscape and decide how to do it all in such a limited time: which classes to take, what activities to sign up for, what events to attend. It was a myriad of choices, ad infinitum. That Jeff did not allow schoolwork to take over his life was something he lived by. ?No matter how busy I got, I always made time for myself.? He learned to prioritize and take on only projects that mattered.

Aside from exploring the pubs and historic sites of Boston, Jeff, who has been playing the violin since his high school days, also made time to join the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra which specializes in early music works by composers from the medieval, renaissance and early baroque periods of classical music?music that audiences would likely not encounter elsewhere.

How is such genius and drive for excellence nurtured?

His parents, both certified public accountants who had worked in a multinational manufacturing company, say they did not wield any special parenting magic to come up with two sons smart enough to graduate with honors. In fact, they add, there was little parental intervention in Jeff?s early years of schooling as they were very busy with their own careers.

There is no secret to his success, says Jeff, who credits his parents for trying not to influence him too much. While they provided him guidance when he needed it, they also allowed him to make his own decisions in his academic and personal life. That is what has made him the confident and independent adult that he is today.

Focusing on what it takes to succeed in school and in the world today, Jeff cites the ability to communicate as the most powerful tool for success in all settings. He finds this ability to express ideas effectively in writing and speech as invaluable and critical, particularly in today?s information-driven society. He does have a secret, he concedes: ?I?ve found that I can convince others that I?m much smarter than I actually am just by writing or speaking well!?

He cautions today?s youth against being passive consumers of information. Think more critically and ask questions, he tells them. Challenge the consensus and draw from different sources of information before making an informed decision. That?s what it takes to be a lifelong learner, he says.

Jeff himself abides by a piece of wisdom imparted by one of his teachers: ?What you lack in natural talent, you will have to make up for in hard work. It?s really that simple.? He adds: ?Think about where you want to go in life, figure out what combination of ability and effort will get you there, and get to work! Time is short.?

After Harvard, Jeff now lives in Hong Kong where he has decided to teach for a year. He says he needed a respite from attending lectures, writing papers, and reading books. Not exactly a walk in the park and certainly more challenging than being a student, he says of teaching middle school and high school English and tourism studies. ?Fiendishly difficult, requiring tons of hard work, patience, flexibility and dedication.?

Nevertheless, Jeff welcomes this new challenge that also gives him time to clarify his goals for the future. What is certain at this point is graduate school and a career in law or public policy. With his passion for human rights, migration and environmental issues, he looks forward to giving back to his home country. At 23, the world lies at his feet, and he can?t wait to kick up his heels and get going. ?