Summer pre-college programs in leadership and theater, in Greece.
Elite Scholar offers a boutique academy with a unique travel experience, a rigorous academic focus led by scholars with PhDs from Princeton. Our team's expertise ensures an unmatched educational journey, to prepare our students for college applications and the demand of an Ivy League education. This is complemented by a commitment to global citizenship through immersive Greek cultural experiences. Students benefit from a blend of academic growth and rich cultural exploration, enhancing their self-reliance and character in the pursuit of excellence. Our precollege academy provides students with a distinctive perspective and experience, not found in any other program.
Hear from our Founder, Dr. Chris PreJean
“Every pre-college program aspires to prepare students for top universities, but none can guarantee admission or a competitive edge. Our approach mirrors Ivy League educational standards and environments, while our long-term mentorship prepares students to articulate their lives through knowledge and experience.”
Become a global citizen. Learn the world.
Our leadership team lives in Greece, speaks Greek and English, and brings decades of combined experience and best practices to the student travel experience. We foreground academics while integrating soft skills through team-oriented cultural activities. Our goal is to create global citizens and foster a deep appreciation of the world. Find out why we are the best.
Meet Our Team
Dr. Vicky Hioureas completed her PhD in History from Princeton University, and holds Master’s degrees in Classics and Late Antique and Byzantine Studies from the University of California, Irvine and King’s College London, and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles. Classical literature, philosophy, history, and argumentation are some of her greatest interests, and she enjoys sharing this passion with her students.
Instructor & Resident Scholar
Dr. Vicky Hioureas
Dr. Nikos Michaildis
Dr. Nikos Michailidis completed his PhD in Anthropology from Princeton University, and holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Boğaziçi University in Turkey, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Panteion University in Greece. He has years of experience as a professor at Princeton University and the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and is a dedicated educator and mentor. His particular interests and skills are in speech-writing, political analysis, Greek philosophy, and ethnography. Dr. Michailidis has contributed think-pieces to the biggest newspapers in Greece and has also been a political pundit on news programs in Greece.
Instructor & Resident Scholar
Dr. Chris PreJean completed his PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from UCLA, and holds a Master’s degree in Arabic from UCLA, and a Bachelor’s in Theological Studies from The King’s University. He is a historian of the pre-modern Middle East and a current fellow at the Haifa Center for Mediterranean Studies. He founded a private tutoring company (chrisprejean.me) in Keller, Texas, where he lives with his family and serves on several higher education boards. He has served as a scholarship evaluator for UCLA and an application evaluator for Fulbright. He has published widely and led several Arabic-to-English translation projects for government and private entities. Lastly, he serves as the Executive Director of a religious pluralism and intellectual enrichment program hosted at Georgetown University, called The Study of Religions Across Civilizations.
Follow Dr. Chris on LinkedIn.
Founder & Program Director
Dr. Chris PreJean
Expectations & Outcomes
Deep Relationships
We foster formative relationships between students through team-building exercises in music, dance, cooking, and capstone projects. While students build impactful relationships with their instructors, they also leave with lifelong friendships. We get students away from social media and entertainment to a world of sustainable friendship and mentorship.
Character Building
Students leave the program brimming with a new level of social maturity and personal responsibility. They learn relational equity and how to build sustainable relationships. We help them see that network building is not transactional, but a sustainable mission of long-term solidarity through companionship.
Virtuous Learning and Fun
We take pride in our academic curriculum but students have ample time to play sports, sunbathe, swim in the Mediterranean, snorkel, hike, and canoe, among other activities. Each program has its own unique access to beaches, farmland, and olive groves.
Ready to take the next step?
Unlock student potential by cultivating self-confidence and refining academic excellence. Become part of the distinguished Elite Scholar community, where our alumni are nurtured by scholars from prestigious institutions like Princeton. Our students maintain lasting connections with our instructors, who continue to serve as dedicated mentors, guiding them through the intricate process of university applications, career shifts, and life's challenges
