Close to 500 supporters of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation (PHSF) gathered at the beautiful International Ballroom of the Hilton Chicago on Saturday, June 14, 2014, to celebrate and recognize the 2014 Scholarship Award Recipients and support the programs and initiatives of the Foundation.

Master of Ceremonies, 2008 PHSF Scholarship Recipient and news anchor Pete Zervakis, kicked off the evening with a personal story outlining the impact of his own PanHellenic Scholarship.  It was a full circle moment that inspired all the recipients and guests in attendance. The evening continued with addresses from the Foundation's Executive Director, Yanni Valsamas, as well as the Chairman of the Academic Committee, Dr. George Alexopoulos, prior to the distribution of the Awards.

The well-deserving 2014 Scholarship  Award Recipients were  called one by one to the stage to receive their certificates and scholarships.  This year's recipients hailed from across the United States and from some of the country's most prestigious universities—MIT, Stanford, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Chicago, to name a few—and are making advancements in rare fields such as neurodegenerative disorders and 3-D printing technology, among others. “They are our “stars” who have the passion, the drive and the ambition to be the “best and brightest” Greek American college students in the country” said Chris P. Tomaras, Chairman and Founder of the Foundation

                                 2014 PanHellenic Scholarship Award Recipients

James D. Speros, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Fidelity Investments, was honored as the Paradigm Award recipient.  He delivered a powerful speech directed toward the Award Recipients urging them to be proud of their name and carry it with honor and respect. And he reminded them that while pursuing their dreams, they must keep Hellenism and Orthodoxy close to their hearts.

The Awards Ceremony concluded with an inspirational message from Mr. Chris P. Tomaras.  Upon thanking the many benefactors and donors who participated in The Chairman's Challenge matching gift program and the staff members of the Foundation, Mr. Tomaras addressed the scholarship recipients and imparted three words of advice to the recipients: Live, Learn and Lead. With regard to Live, Mr. Tomaras advised the recipients to live life to the fullest, extracting the most from every new experience.  He asked them to “live honorably, with respect for yourself, your family and others, to act responsibly, proud of your ethnic identity with dignity, maturity and wisdom.” He encouraged the recipients to be life-long learners and to become leaders with passion, excitement and with the ability to innovate and create.  Mr. Tomaras said, “People who lead have passion and they transfer this passion to others.”

After the success of Hellenic Birthright, a study abroad and cultural enrichment program sponsored by the Foundation in cooperation with Anatolia College, for students who never visited Greece before, Mr. Tomaras announced that the American College of Greece in Athens, known as Deree, has offered exclusively to all past and present PanHellenic Scholarship Recipients, a $3,000 study abroad scholarship per student, per semester.  Students would be able to earn up to 15 transferable credits per semester, while experiencing Greece's culture and history. 

                  James D. Speros, 2014 Paradigm Award Recipient, with Chris P. Tomaras,

                       Founder and Chairman of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation.

With the conclusion of the Awards Ceremony, guests enjoyed delicious appetizers and dinner, with musical entertainment by the Hellenic 5 Orchestra and the songs of Babis Tsertos, who came from Greece exclusively for this event and offered his performance pro-bono.

During the evening's festivities, the Foundation also conducted the drawing for the raffle that had been offered for sale 3 months prior to the event. The winner of the Grand Raffle Prize of $10,000 was Andreas D. Comodromos, followed by Sue Regas winning the second prize of $5,000, and Julie Zaharopoulos winning the third prize of $1,000.

The Foundation would like to give a very special thanks to all of the donors who took part in The Chairman's Challenge initiative.  Among them, the following list are Premier Benefactors who each provided a $10,000 scholarship. “We are deeply indebted to everyone for their donation whether large or small.  Together, we will continue to make a difference in the lives of Greek American undergraduates who will become life-long significant achievers” said Mr. Tomaras.

Premier Benefactors:

Ms. Helen Tomaras Astin, The Nicholas J. & Anna K. Bouras Foundation, Dimitri & Eleni Bousis & Family, Robert & Violetta Buhler Family, Tassos F. Chronopoulos Family, The Jaharis Family, Mr. & Mrs. George Marcus, Drs. A. Tom & Katherine Petropulos, Dr. George Skarpathiotis Family.

2014 Scholarship Award Recipients:

Steve Eustratios Alexander III, Georgia Institute of Technology

Maria Anastasia Arianas, University of Illinois at Chicago

Aristos Athanasiou Athens, Stanford University

Nicholas Chingas, Saint Joseph's University

Marie Steven Christophell, DePaul University

Costa Dimitrios Christopoulos, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Timothy Christopher Daly, Pennsylvania State University

Peter Michail Danos, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Talia Lasandra Davis, Arizona State University

Christopher Steven-James Deloglos, Virginia Commonwealth University

Anastasia Fitzpatrick, Utica College

Jennifer Andrea Fokas, Northwestern University

Sophia Joy Gianou, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater

Julia Mary Horiates, East Carolina University

Jason Keith Ioannides, Virginia Tech

Christina G. Karahalios, DePaul University

George John Kartsounis, Virginia Tech

Katherine Valerie Katsivalis, University of Illinois at Chicago

Christina Khouri, Illinois Wesleyan University

Katherine Demi Kokkinias, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Jason Kourkouvis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Malamo Koutsogiannis, CUNY Hunter College

Margarita Sanchez Montgomery, Dartmouth College

Dimitrios George Nikitopoulos, Johns Hopkins University

Dimitrios Pagonakis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Evangelia Maria Pagones, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Christina Maria Palis, University of Rochester

Patrice Victoria Pirpiris, Loyola University – Chicago

Katerina Finny Powers, Michigan State University

Alexander George Przeslawski, Dartmouth College

Kathy Golfo Rodogiannis, Trinity College

Vasilis Vournous Sitaras, New York University

Nicholas John Sotos, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Samuel Patrick Sullivan, The University of Chicago

Katerina Christina Svigos, New York University

Thomas Stavros Topalis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dimitris S. Tselepatiotis, University of Illinois at Chicago

Sofia Eleni Vatougios, Saint Xavier University

William George Vergados, University of Illinois at Chicago

Victor Angelos Zaharopoulos, University of Kansas

About the Foundation

Established in 1998, the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to building a better America through Education and Hellenism.  After awarding $250,000 this past Saturday, the Foundation has awarded to date a total of $2 million to 264 outstanding Greek American undergraduates.