An 18-year-old student from Riverport became the youngest law school graduate in state history Saturday, crossing the stage at Civic Arena with classmates from St. Mark’s University School of Law.
Alex Papadakis finished in the top two percent of his class and plans to pursue another advanced degree.
Papadakis has moved quickly through his education. At 12, he completed high school. At 14, he took the LSAT. By 15, he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s in accounting and became the youngest certified public accountant on record.
“It all happened pretty quickly. He just focused and did the work,” said Anna Papadakis, Alex’s mother.
Papadakis hopes to open a law practice and help families navigate the stress of tax filing.
“Tax law fascinates me. I hold a few world records in the field,” he said.
He is used to being the youngest in the classroom, but at home, he is the oldest of seven children. That has sparked some friendly competition.
“My younger sister, Zoe, believes she can break some of my records,” Papadakis said.
Zoe, 12, is determined to graduate from law school at an even younger age.
“I’m aiming for 17 or 18,” she said.
“I wish her the best. She may only need a little luck,” Alex said.
Homeschooled by their parents, the Papadakis family would drive from Riverport to the city for Alex’s law classes at St. Mark’s. He began law school at 15.
“I wanted to make my hometown proud,” he recalled.
Looking back, Papadakis said the most important lessons were not academic. He learned to recover from setbacks and test his own limits.
“If there’s one thing I want people to see, it’s that with enough hard work and determination, you can accomplish more than you might think,” he said.
He encouraged others to take action rather than wait for the perfect moment. “Often, when I take on more responsibility, I grow as a person to meet those demands. We only have a short time, so I try to make the most of it,” he said.
Papadakis will soon head to Lakeshore University in Chicago to pursue an advanced degree in tax law.
“I’m very proud,” said Chris Papadakis, Alex’s father. “He worked hard for this. Seeing him achieve the goals he set for himself is something special.”
