Philo4Thought Hellenic Professional Mentoring Initiative is pleased to present our March 2019 Young Professional of the Month! The goal of our publications is to provide positive, successful role models who will inspire the next generation of young professionals. Preliminary criteria for YPM candidates is that they are actively engaged in an entrepreneurial initiative or have made a successful career for themselves, thereby serving as strong role models to the next generation of young professionals. Candidates are typically of Hellenic origin and part of a humanitarian (educational, sociological, scientific, etc.) or environmentally-conscious field. Given the gradual expansion of our readership, we currently interview candidates who embrace a specific Hellenic philosophy best described in a word… Philotimo (φιλότιμο). The most important qualifications all our candidates share are the spirit and compassion to persevere, and the heart to share their knowledge and experience with others.
Harry Koulos (J.D., Cum Laude, Georgetown Law (2014); B.A., History, Cum Laude with distinction, Yale (2011)) is an Associate in Complex Litigation & Trials at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He is a member of the New York and California Bar Associations and a Nikos Mouyaris 2030 Leadership Fellow for the Hellenic American Leadership Council. Prior to joining Skadden, Harry was law clerk to Hon. Thomas A. Varlan (Chief Judge, Eastern District of Tennessee). At Georgetown, Harry interned for the FBI's National Security Law Branch, the Air Force's JAG Corps and the Department of Justice's Torts Branch. At Yale, he received several awards, including the Francis Gordon Brown Prize for Juniors upholding standards of excellence in intellect, character, leadership, and service. Harry was also on Yale’s Varsity Baseball Team and played for the Greek National Baseball Team’s European Championships (2012).
In a speech he gave at the National Hellenic Students Association's New York City conference in the Fall 2018, Harry said, "It should be automatic for us all to help each other, to support the Greek community, but we let things get in the way of working together. Unity is what we need because when we're divided... that's when we've lost. When people talk about our ancient past, a great thing to remind them is that we're pretty great now...." It's through this level of faith and determination that the future of our Hellenic Young Professional (HYP) community will grow in strength and unity, advancing together to create a brighter future ahead.
CREDIT & RECOGNITION: Many thanks to Harry Koulos for sharing his story with us and to all those who contributed to this feature bio.