AHIF’s Foreign Policy Students Depart for Greece, Cyprus; Students Receive Firsthand Foreign Policy Experience About The Region From Experts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF) College Student Foreign Policy Trip to Greece and Cyprus began its 15th year as students from across the United States gathered for briefings in Washington, D.C., June 13 to 16, 2023, prior to departing for Cyprus. The 17-day program concludes June 30 when the students return from Athens.
“Through our AHI Foundation, we are pleased and proud to welcome the community’s next generation of leaders on our fifteenth annual college student and foreign policy trip,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “This is an invaluable opportunity for these exceptional students to learn about the foreign policy issues that are important to the Greek American community and United States interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. They hit the ground running with briefings in Washington, then on to high-level meetings with government officials and community leaders abroad, all as developments in the region occur in real time.”
On their first day, June 13, the students arrived at Hellenic House and received a briefing from Nick Larigakis. They also visited the Embassy of Greece to receive a briefing from Ambassador of Greece to the U.S. Alexandra Papadopoulou and visited the Embassy of Cyprus to receive a briefing from Deputy Chief of Mission Maria Savvidou – Panayiotou, before enjoying an evening reception at Hellenic House.
On June 14, the students visited the U.S. Department of State and received a briefing from foreign service officials at the agency’s Office of Southern European Affairs, including Deputy Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs Michael Kidwell; Greek Desk Officer Dave Mendez, and Sophia Berhie, Cyprus Desk officer. The students were delighted to have the opportunity to meet U.S. Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis. Despite his busy schedule, which included multiple meetings at the State Department, Ambassador Tsunis took the time to visit the students and engage with them. Their encounter left the students elated and grateful for the chance to interact with him.
The students also gained further insight into foreign policy trends and the inner workings of policy formulation from Washington Insider John Sitilides, Principal at Trilogy Advisors who briefed them on the multidimensional aspects of the Eastern Mediterranean and how it affects U.S. foreign policy in the region. In the afternoon, they enjoyed a tour of the U.S. Capitol thanks to the generous help of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). In the evening, they attended a reception hosted by the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The reception was the kickoff of the group's annual Capitol Hill Day. Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), U.S. Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis, U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Julie Fisher, Ambassador of Greece to the U.S. Alexandra Papadopoulou, and Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), a longstanding Congressional Hellenic Caucus member, addressed the audience.
On their last full day in Washington, June 15, the students returned to Capitol Hill for a meeting with the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH). The briefing focused on the significant role of the US Congress and providing insights into the operations of the Hellenic Caucus.
The students also gained additional foreign and defense policy insight from Doug Bandow, senior fellow, Cato Institute; Andrew R. Novo, associate professor of Strategic Studies at the National Defense University; and Elias Gerasoulis, AHI Policy Consultant; Furthermore, Gregory Graves, a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at The George Washington University and AHI Foundation Graduate Fellow (2016-2017), shared his in-depth analysis on the Cyprus Crisis in July and August of 1974. This analysis served as the basis for his doctoral thesis and his research conducted at the AHI, adding significant depth to the students' knowledge in this area.
During the two-week program in Greece and Cyprus, the students will receive firsthand experience about the foreign policy issues affecting Greece and Cyprus, their relations with the U.S., and the interests of the U.S. in the region. There will be meetings/briefings with American embassies, officials from various ministries of each country, including Foreign Affairs and Defense; high ranking military officials, religious leaders, speakers from think-tanks, and members of academia and the private sector. In Greece, the students will also embark on a daytrip to visit one of the most important military facilities in the Eastern Mediterranean, Souda Bay in Crete. There they will have the unique opportunity to tour the NATO Missile Firing Installation (NAMFI) and the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center (NMIOTC); receive a briefing at the US Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay; and the Hellenic Airforce 115 Combat Wing. Moreover, the students will visit the Salamis Naval Base and receive a firsthand briefing on the Hellenic Navy. To complete the defense-focused segment of the program, they will visit the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (HNDGS) and receive a defense policy briefing from General Konstantinos Floros, Chief of the HNDGS.
2023 Participants
Alexandra Angelos is a rising sophomore and a Dean’s List student at Boston University, double majoring in International Relations and Psychology. Her passion for global affairs and politics have led her to pursue a concentration in International Systems and World Order in Europe.
Sophia Dongaris is a rising senior at Lafayette College majoring in International Affairs with a minor in Economics, with a regional concentration of Europe, and a thematic concentration in development. On campus, Sophia is an NCAA Division I track and field athlete, and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll student.
Peter Furgis is a rising Junior at American University in Washington DC, where he is majoring in International Relations. Cementing his passions for international relations and politics, Peter interned for Congressman Gus Bilirakis in the fall of 2022.
Aleco Hamrick will begin law school this August at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, where he will pursue a focus on international business law. This past spring, Aleco graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
Anna Alexia Markouizos is a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh pursuing a degree in Late Antique, Islamic, and Byzantine Studies. This is not, however, her first master’s; she attended King’s College London upon being accepted to their program, “The Classical World and its Reception.”
Augostina Mallous is a graduate of Hofstra University where she received a BA in Journalism and minor in Dance. She is the President of the National Communications Honor Society and has been published in several news outlets and magazines.
William Martin is a rising senior at Washington and Lee University, where he is double majoring in International Politics and Eastern European and Russian Studies. Will serves as a Platform Committee Member for the school’s Mock Convention, focusing on foreign policy and immigration.
Anna Maria Papadopoulos is a rising senior and a Dean’s List recipient at American University, where she is majoring in Legal Studies as part of a rigorous Politics, Policy, and Law Program and the Leadership Program within the School of Public Affairs.
Peter Papanicolaou is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he received degrees in Finance and International Business, and plans on attending law school.
Kelly Skoulikaris graduated with honors from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where she received a BA in Public Policy with a focus on the environment, sustainability, and social impact.
Please Click Here To Read Student Trip Participant Profiles
The American Hellenic Institute is an independent non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.
For additional information, please contact us at (202) 785-8430 or pr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our website at http://www.ahiworld.org.
