AHIF’s Foreign Policy Students Depart for Greece, Cyprus
No. 66
2024 AHIF Foreign Policy Trip Students at the State Department Building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF) College Student Foreign Policy Trip to Greece and Cyprus begins its 16th year as students from across the United States gathered for briefings and events in Washington, D.C., June 11 to 14, 2024, prior to departing for Cyprus. The 18-day program concludes June 29 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 sixteenth 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 will hit the ground running with briefings in Washington and engaging with advocates to mark the somber 50th anniversary of the Cyprus invasion before heading overseas for high-level meetings with government officials and community leaders abroad. While abroad, students have had the experience of taking in developments in the region as they occur in real time.”
On their first day, June 11, the students were welcomed at Hellenic House by AHI Executive Director Zac Cotronakis and received greetings from AHI Legislative Director Alexander Christofor and AHI Policy Consultant Elias Gerasoulis, an alumnus of the program. They also visited the U.S. Department of State to receive a briefing given by Dana Brown, director of the Office of Southern European Affairs. In the evening, the group attended the welcome reception of the 39th Annual PSEKA (International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus) Conference, marking the 50th dark anniversary of Turkey’s invasion, division and occupation of Cyprus, hosted by Cypriot Foreign Minister Dr. Constantinos Kombos and held at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Committee Room in the Rayburn House Office Building. Afterwards, in a commemoration of the 50th anniversary, the students participated in PSEKA’s Candlelight Vigil along with Greek American members of Congress on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
On June 12, the students received morning briefings from AHI President Nick Larigakis and Gregory Graves, a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of History, The George Washington University, who has performed extensive research on the Cyprus issue. They returned to the U.S. Capitol for an enjoyable tour and for a meeting with U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), co-chair, Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues. In the evening, the group attended the PSEKA Conference’s banquet at The Willard Hotel where Cypriot Foreign Minister Dr. Kombos delivered the Keynote Address and U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and his late father, U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), were honored.
On June 13, the student received several briefings that kicked-off with a visit to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House complex to meet with Brigid J. Ryan, director for Southern Europe and South Caucasus at the National Security Council (NSC). They also received a briefing from geopolitical expert, John Sitilides, principal at Trilogy Advisors, LLC, at Hellenic House, before heading to the Embassy of Greece for a briefing with Nikos Sapountzis, Deputy Chief of Mission, George Fostiropoulos, Consul, and Nikolaos Papadopoulos, First Counselor for Public Diplomacy. The group also met with U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a community champion who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In the evening, the group enjoyed dinner at Metro 29 Diner thanks to AHI Board Member Peter Bota.
On their last full day in Washington, June 14, the students received a briefing at the Embassy of Cyprus given by Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the U.S. Evangelos Savvas before departing for Cyprus later in the day.
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 or briefings with American embassies, officials from various ministries of each country, including Foreign Affairs and Defense; military officers and parliament members, religious leaders, think-tank organizations, and members of academia and the private sector. In Greece, the students will also take a daytrip to visit Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay, Crete, where they will tour the NATO Missile Firing Installation (NAMFI) and NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center (NMIOTC), as well as Salamis Naval Base, and receive briefings.
2024 AHIF Foreign Policy Trip Student Biographies:
Charlie Euripides is a rising sophomore at Washington and Lee University (Lexington, Virginia) majoring in Politics and minoring in Film and Visual Studies. He is a Johnson Merit Scholarship recipient, a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, completed a fellowship for Effective Altruism, and served as a North Carolina delegate for the 2024 MockCon convention. Charles’ novel, Eleftherios’ Journey to Success, was published by New Degree Press in April 2021. Charles interned at Essex Richards PA Law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, and plans to become an attorney and focus upon international and commercial law. He is from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Giorgio Gianoulis is a recent graduate of Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas) where he majored in Accounting. During his time in college he earned academic honors and was named as Academic All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He is an active lifetime member of the Greek Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City and is currently active in the San Antonio Orthodox community. He has actively participated in GOYA, YAL, the PanCretan Association of America, and the National Hellenic Society. Giorgio will continue his education this fall in Trinity University’s Master’s of Accounting program and would like to attend medical school in the future. He is from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Penelope Grapsas is a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) double majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and Economics, and minoring in Ancient History. She previously attended American University, where she was a member of the Global Scholars Cohort, Committee Co-Chair of AmeriMUNC 2023, and a participant in the Global Scholars Semester Abroad. At UPenn, she is part of the Penn Hellenic Society and Penn Impact Investing. She previously served as student president of her high school, where she was a National Merit Finalist. Before college, she was an intern in the district office of a U.S. Senator and an intern at Brooks & Brooks Law Firm. She is from Tampa, Florida.
Evelina Kynigopoulos is a rising junior at George Washington University (Washington, D.C.) majoring in International Affairs, where she is a member of the George Washington University Hellenic Student Association. She has been involved in her local Greek-American community, her high school's GOYA, and the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church. She also held the position of president of her high school's Greek club. Evelina was an intern at the American Hellenic Institute during the spring of 2024. She is from Queens, New York.
Alexandra Lahiri is a rising junior at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) pursuing double majors in International Studies with a Concentration in European Studies and Music with a Concentration in Voice, and double minors in Classical Studies and Latin. Alexandra is President of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship and a Hegi Career Leader. She serves as Youth Choir Director at her church, and participates in chanting and singing in the Church Choir, as well as participating in YAL, Greek dancing, and the Hellenic Cultural Society of Dallas. Alexandra interned at Brewer Attorneys & Counselors as a summer intern in 2023, and as a legal intern during her sophomore year. She is from Highland Park, Texas.
Drew Lambert is a rising sophomore at Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs and minoring in Modern Greek. He previously served as an intern for United Way of Greater Charlottesville, where he worked with non-profit organizations and helped with outreach events. He also participated in the Student Leaders Program for Bank of America. In the future, he plans to serve as a diplomat, either within the State Department, engaging in another form of public service, or entering the global commerce arena. He is from Charlottesville, Virginia.
Ernest Owen is a rising senior at George Mason University (Fairfax County, Virginia) majoring in Art and Visual Technology and double-minoring in Illustration / Arts Management. He received the Virginia Board of Education Seal of Biliteracy (Greek), the Ellinomatheia Certificates of Greek Language Attainment with Honors (Hellenic Education Center), and is an Eagle Scout. During his graduate studies, with information input from AHIF’s Foreign Policy Trip, Ernest plans to showcase the evolution of Greece’s political history and foreign affairs’ posture from ancient times to present in a series of illustrated publications. He is from Annandale, Virginia.
Anastasia Petridis is a rising junior at Emerson College (Boston, Massachusetts) majoring in Journalism and minoring in Pre-Law. She has been involved in numerous Hellenic groups including Maids of Athena, the Pan-Macedonian Youth of Philadelphia, and the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon. After the trip, Anastasia will be interning with the Consulate General of Greece in Boston. After graduating, she hopes to attend law school and seeks to build a career in foreign policy. She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sophia Pezeshkan is a rising junior at Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) majoring in Global Business and minoring in Modern Greek Language and Classics, where she is a Dean’s List student. Her interest in politics sparked from a young age as she grew up hearing the stories of her grandfather, a former ambassador of Cyprus. She is the media director for Georgetown’s Hellenic Society, a member of the Christian Orthodox Fellowship, interned for the United States’ Senate, and volunteered as an art and English teacher in Cyprus. She is from Naples, Florida.
Melina Piperis is a rising junior at Boston College (Boston, Massachusetts) double-majoring in History and Classical Cultures. She serves as vice president of the Boston College Hellenic Society, where she chairs their annual Lecture Series which previously included Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, governor Michael Dukakis, and author Nicholas Gage. She is a part of the Anemos Dance Troupe in Omaha, Nebraska where she earned a platinum first place medal in 2024. She previously served as Student Board President of her high school and was an editor of its newspaper. She is from Omaha, Nebraska.
Iliana Tzafolias is a recent Summa Cum Laude graduate of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia), where she majored in International Relations. In college, Iliana was part of the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society, served as an International Relations Student Ambassador, and was on the Dean’s List. Her thesis was Defining Greekness: The Effect of Ethnic Identity on Foreign Policy Opinions. She was previously an intern at the DC Embassy of Greece and Revolve Media, and completed an internship seminar at the Institute for the International Education of Students. Iliana plans to continue her academic experience by pursuing her PhD in the future. She is from Woodbridge, Virginia.
The American Hellenic Institute is an independent non-profit 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.
