Angelo Langadakis III, a 2004 graduate of St. Demetrios High School, is currently a second year law student at St. John’s University School of Law. He’s also working with his former high school to get it involved in the New York State Bar Association’s High School Mock Trial competition. “My main goal is to introduce the legal method and legal writing into high school classrooms,” he says in a interview where he describes his not so smooth ride there and the revelation college became for him. After studying accounting at Hunter College, he worked in one of the big public accounting firms as an auditor. He began law school in 2010 as an evening student and having his first year completed, he managed to rank first in his class and being at the top certainly opened up many doors. Angelo worked under the Hon. Kathleen A. Tomlinson, a federal magistrate judge at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York when he was just a second year law student. Despite, the harsh legal job market, he has been interviewed by Ernst & Young LLP and the Internal Revenue Service for summer positions.

Yet, as a high school student at St. Demetrios High School, his academic record was quite different.

How did you feel when you started law school?

Inadequate. I would walk into class and wonder how long it would take the office of admissions to figure out it made a mistake. Each class had over a hundred pages of required reading per night. I studied accounting and economics in college. I hated English classes. So, I was mentally preparing myself for the worst.

Why did you not like English as a subject?

What many people don’t know is that I actually failed English in high school. I had to go to summer school for English. I remember my parents asking my teacher why he gave me an ‘F.’ The teacher replied ‘because that’s the lowest I’m allowed to give your son. If I could give him a ‘Z’ believe me I would.’ I wouldn’t even bother to read the Spark Notes for the books. I had zero interest for the material.

What changed in college and law school?

Honestly, the material. What I realized in college, but more so in law school, was that I loved reading. I liked learning about practical things; concepts and ideas that I could use and apply in the real world. When I came to law school, I honestly loved reading for every single class. I would read every case, and every note behind each case. I would even read the material we weren’t assigned. I just wanted to learn and know as much as I could. What I started to realize was that failing English in high school was not my fault. If the material was more interesting or useful, I would actually want to read it.

How did you feel when you got your grades and ranked first in your class?

I set no expectations for myself, because I thought I had no chance. Law school is really competitive. Grades are distributed on a forced curve. Less than eight people in the whole class could get an ‘A’ and in some classes, only one student could get ‘the A.’ For me law school was an academic journey. For others, it was a battle for survival. So, I didn’t want to set myself up for disappointment. When grades came out, I was definitely in shock. At the end of the first year, I still couldn’t believe the class rank next to my name. It’s just something I was never used to, so it was just strange and difficult to take in.

Are grades everything?

I think grades matter, until you get a job. It’s a tough job market out there, especially for the legal profession. Being on the very top definitely adds objective leverage in job searches. The supply is low and the demand is high for top law students. I know a couple of very smart people who don’t have the grades and are struggling to even get interviews, and that’s unfair. However, the reality is that without grades students won’t get those interviews. Grades are not everything though. Interviewers are more interested in my prior work experience and participation in extracurricular activities like mock trial and mock negotiations, than they are in my grades. Grades get you the interview, not the job. After a certain point, you need to let go of the baby-bottle of education, and start demonstrating what skills and talent you actually have. At the end of the day, your ability to take what you learned and get real results is going to be more important than your grades, especially those based on a curve.

Do you know what you want to do after law school?

My areas of interest are business law, taxation, trusts and estates, and family law. However, I love planning and litigation equally. I’m currently working with St. Demetrios High School to try and get the school involved in the New York State Bar Association’s High School Mock Trial competition. My main goal is to introduce the legal method and legal writing into high school classrooms. I really feel that there are good students out there, but their interest isn’t being stimulated and their talent isn’t being shown. I think the Greek community, because of its culture and philosophy, has a wonderful opportunity to start cultivating outstanding legal minds from a very young age, and make a meaningful impact on the legal community with the help of the young Greek generation. Students in high school should not sell themselves short by letting go of their goals early in their academic careers. Young Greek-Americans must see the light at the end of the tunnel. When the younger generation chooses to pursue its goals, it is capable of attaining them. The most successful Greek-American doctors, lawyers, and other professionals also started out in high school. Yet, students should understand how life continues after graduation. A high school diploma is not the end, but just the beginning. The strength of the Greek community depends on how well this younger generation understands that the high expectations everyone has for it, though extremely optimistic, are not just dreams, but goals. When we remind young Greek-Americans of just how much they are capable of, we empower the Greek community.