By Matt Quill ’24, Eric Petrie ’24, Nick Zuppe ’24, Matt Robertelli ’24, and Finn Coffey ’24,
RAMSEY, NJ – The 7th Cohort of the Don Bosco Prep L.E.O. Program began their entrepreneurial journey last night – Thursday, November 30th – in a pinning ceremony in DeSales Auditorium.
After the National Anthem and Fr. Abe’s opening prayer, Mr. John Esposito, L.E.O Program Head and Chairman of the Don Bosco Prep Business Pathway, opened the night with a reflection about the significance of the program, and how much students can get out if it if they actively participate and work hard at every opportunity presented to them. Following Mr. Esposito, representatives from the Leonidas Foundation and the Don Bosco Prep Business Boosters Club, Rhonda Clarke and Yvonne Harle, recalled the tragic death of DBP student Leo Vagias, and the wonderful windows of opportunity that have opened in his honor.
Several Seniors, members of the 6th Cohort, spoke at the ceremony. Eric Petrie highlighted the four core values of the LEO Program: Perception, Opportunities, Connections, and Public Speaking. He used an anecdote about Josh Bell to illustrate perception. Josh Bell played violin in the infamous Boston Symphony Hall to a sold out audience, wearing a black dress shirt and black dress pants. A few days later, he went to a subway station dressed in a sweater and sweatpants, along with a baseball cap. While he played the same music on the same violin, only 5 people out of thousands stopped to listen. Being in the best place to succeed, dressed to impress, is the only way to propel one’s career forward. Eric then spoke about how he was challenged every week in LEO to work on his Public Speaking. Each week, he was asked to speak in front of his peers, teachers, and mentors regarding his business, a weekly ritual that was not easy. Eric tied his mentors into Connections: LEO/Bosco connections are everywhere, and one must take advantage of them. Finally, Eric spoke about Opportunity. He mentioned that there were always guest speakers coming to speak to the L.E.O. students, ranging from alumni, to lawyers, to heads of hedge funds, to local businessmen. Eric then tied in the Opportunity piece with college. While on a college visit to Babson last year with his brother, Eric told the tour guides about the Don Bosco’s L.E.O. program. It turns out, Eric said, that Babson College, a top 10 college in America for business, has the same concept on a much larger scale. Eric said that he and his brother then bounced off ideas on the tour guide and discussed how they would go about their business in the future, and those ideas helped their business today.
Nick Zuppe also spoke to the audience. When he introduced himself – “My name is Nicholas Zuppe” and followed that up with “and around campus, most people refer to me as “ZOOUUUUP””, the crowd did a combination of chiming in by saying his last name or simply reacting with a laugh. With that rousing audience reception, Nick elaborated on how proud he was to be a member of the 6th L.E.O. Cohort. He recalled being at the 1st ever L.E.O. pinning ceremony and told the audience it was at that event that he knew that he wanted to be a part of the L.E.O. program. Those 1st Cohort members, whom Nick saw getting their pins, have graduated college and have had great starts in their professional careers. Next, Nick talked about relationships, a focal point of L.E.O., and how the relationships L.E.O. students make
can deepen inside or outside the classroom. Nick then began the main point of my speech, which was thanking Mr. Teddy Viagas and the entire Leonidas Foundation. He talked about how the Viagas family created a remarkable program through a tragedy. Nick focused on Teddy, saying that Teddy is a friend to us all and that there is no more important relationship that all of the L.E.O. students share. And, Nick added, every student in the L.E.O. program is a part of Teddy’s family. Nick’s most powerful line was – “Mr. and Mrs. Viagas, Mrs. Clarke, and the entire Leonidas Foundation, on behalf of all of the L.E.O. Cohorts – past, present, and future – thanks for everything you do”. Nick wished the best of luck to his L.E.O. Cohort 6 classmates at the Ironworks competition and any pending college acceptances. Finally, Nick congratulated the incoming L.E.O. Cohort on being selected and told them to enjoy the fantastic experience they are all about to share, concluding with a spirited “Let’s go, Bosco!”
Keynote Speaker Dan McCann, CEO of the Atlanta based A.I. company Symtrain, reflected upon what it takes to be an entrepreneur, tracing some of his ups and downs over the course of his business career.
On the spur of the moment, Mr. Esposito gave Senior Matt Robertelli a brief introduction, explaining his role in the club, thanking him for his service hours creating the pin design, and asking him if he wanted to say a few words. Matt decided to share his personal experience with the L.E.O. program. He recounted how, when he first started with the L.E.O. program, he did not know how to talk to people in a business setting. He remembered being so nervous just to go up and ask for speakers’ emails, so he could ask them a few questions about their field of work. However, after being given the opportunity so many times by the program, Matt said he learned not only how important networking is, but also how to effectively network with other people. He encouraged students in the next class to take advantage of this great opportunity and to be grateful for everything they learn.
The 7th L.E.O. Cohort was then officially sworn in with the reception of their pins, marking the beginning of a two semester-long journey. A new addition to the ceremony this year was that the students in the 7th Cohort also received a L.E.O. program backpack.
