How to design a passion project that collegeadmissions officers will LOVE
In her video, Verity Leung shares how helpless and depressed she felt during the isolation of the COVID-19 era. Like many others, she struggled with disconnection—but she also found an unexpected outlet: music.
Sitting at her piano, she began to process what she was feeling. That experience led her to develop a simple but powerful framework for making a difference in the world—what she calls the Four Cs:
Create
Cause
Contribute
Connect
The Starting Point: Anyone Can Build a Passion Project
According to Verity, you don’t need something extraordinary to get started. Anyone can create a meaningful passion project—you just need three key elements:
Connection
Direction
Purpose
Turning Personal Insight Into Action
For Verity, it started with a deeply personal realization.
She recognized that in her own life—and in the lives of many people around her—someone in their family history had once run for their life to survive. That connection gave her a new perspective on resilience and survival.
From there, she found her direction.
She decided to use her talent for music as a vehicle for impact. Her idea: record a CD and use it to raise money for asylum seekers.
Creating a Ripple Effect
What began as a personal project quickly expanded.
People from around the world—especially those whose families had experienced war, displacement, and survival—felt connected to her mission. They resonated with the cause and chose to contribute.
Her project became more than just music. It became a shared story, a collective experience, and a meaningful way to give back.
From Passion Project to Global Platform
Today, Verity’s message has reached hundreds of thousands of people.
Her TED Talk, with over 400,000 views, explores how teens (and anyone, really) can discover and build their own passion projects using this same framework.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Top colleges aren’t just looking for students with perfect grades or test scores.
They’re looking for individuals who take initiative. Who care about something deeply. Who turn ideas into action.
The small percentage of students admitted to highly selective schools like Harvard don’t just check academic boxes—they demonstrate leadership, purpose, and the ability to create impact.
And often, that shows up through a well-developed passion project.
Your Next Step
Now you have the formula.
If you want to stand out—not just on applications, but in life—start here:
Find a connection that matters to you
Choose a direction you can act on
Anchor it in a clear purpose
That’s how real impact begins.
That’s how changemakers are built.
And that’s how you turn a simple idea into something that truly matters.
Watch Verity’s video to see how she did it and how you can start your own.