[Non24Throw]

Succeeding despite a lack of education, or despite significantly disadvantaged birth circumstances, will always be the most impressive quality I find in a young person.

In terms of things you can actually apply without having said disadvantages, I would say anything that displays a kind of economic maturity, or a bias for long-term thinking. These are very rare and valuable qualities in all age groups, but are especially rare in younger people.

You can display that conversationally, by for example asking pointed questions about a company (or any kind of system) and its relevant external factors, and then extrapolating to possible future directions and outcomes. Or you can do any project that interests you for its long-term implications, and talk about future outcomes, anticipated success or failure scenarios, the potential impact of known unknowns, etc.