wfn.org | GOAA - Scholarships for the 2009-2010 Academic Year Announced

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
> 8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106
> Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
> Web: http://www.goarch.org  - Email: communications@goarch.org

> Contact: PRESS OFFICE
> Stavros Papagermanos
> pressoffice@goarch.org

Scholarship Recipients for the 2009-2010 Academic Year Announced

NEW YORK ?? The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is pleased to
announce the awarding of scholarships for the 2009-10 academic year
from three scholarship programs administered by the Chancellorâ??s
Office of the Archdiocese. In spite of the current economic
conditions, these scholarship funds managed to award scholarships to a
variety of students from all over the United States.

The â??George and Naouma Gioles Scholarship Fundâ?? awarded
scholarships to the following students: John Buscemi (Glenview, Ill.),
Matthew Hyps (Seminole, Fla.), Eleftheria Lekkas (Oradell, NJ),
Spyridon Mitches (Garrison, NY), Jeffrey Pedersen (Sandy, Utah), Kelly
Sklavounas (North Canton, Ohio), and Peter Stultz (Grand Rapids,
Mich.). This Fund was established in 1997 with a generous gift from
Marian Gioles in memory of her beloved parents, to honor their
commitment to their Orthodox Faith, their love of their Hellenic
heritage, and their desire to help youth who are orphaned or in need.
Scholarships are awarded annually to Greek Orthodox students committed
to serious study in degree-earning, undergraduate programs at
accredited colleges or universities in the United States, with at
least one award reserved for a student pursuing a degree in
journalism.  This year, the journalism award went to John Buscemi from
Glenview, Ill.

The â??Katina John Malta Scholarship Fundâ?? awarded  scholarships to
the following students:  Charles Blougouras (Rochester, NH), John
Buscemi (Glenview, Ill.), Eleni Cade (Des Moines, Iowa), Milan Devetak
(Las Vegas, Nev.), Eleftheria Lekkas (Oradell, NJ), Spyridon Mitches
(Garrison, NY), Jeffrey Pedersen (Sandy, Utah), Elizabeth Pettygrove
(Pomona, Calif.), Alyssa Marie Robidoux (Natick, Mass.), Kelly
Sklavounas (North Canton, Ohio), and Peter Stultz (Grand Rapids,
Mich.). This Scholarship Fund was established in 2002 by Peter and
Elli Paleologos through a generous gift from the estate of Katina John
Malta, in recognition of the love she had for the Church and to honor
her desire to help others, especially children and youth of the
Orthodox Christian Faith. The scholarship is open to students from all
jurisdictions of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
in America (SCOBA), reflecting the pan-Orthodox nature of this
scholarship program.  This year, in addition to recipients from the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, one of the recipients, Milan Devetak, is
from the Serbian Orthodox Church and one student, Elizabeth
Pettygrove, is from the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

The final set of scholarships, awarded from the â??Paleologos Graduate
Scholarship Fundâ??, marks the third year that awards were granted
from this new scholarship fund, established in 2007 by Peter and Elli
Paleologos. This fund assists students enrolled in graduate studies
leading to advanced degrees in academic fields other than theology.
Like the Malta Scholarships, this award is open to all students of
SCOBA-affiliated churches.  This year, Elli Paleologos awarded six
scholarships in memory of her late husband Peter, co-founder of this
scholarship, who passed away in late May 2009. The recipients of the
2009-2010 Paleologos Graduate Scholarships are:  Angela Glaros
(Urbana, Ill.), Meredith Hutchinson (Bethlehem, Pa.), Christiana
Limniatis (Albany, NY), Constandinos Tsourakis (New York, NY) and
Stephanie Varvitsiotes (Danville, Calif.) all from the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America, and Lillian Kishek (W. Bloomfield, Mich.) from
the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

The Archdiocese and the Scholarship Committees offer congratulations
to all of these scholarship winners and to the many other worthy
students who applied. Gratitude and appreciation is expressed to the
donors for their continuing generosity and commitment to higher
education, and to the Scholarship Committee members for their
invaluable assistance.

It is anticipated that all three of these scholarships will be awarded
next year for the 2010-2011 academic year. Applications and guidelines
for next yearâ??s scholarships will be available at the beginning of
2010 from the Office of the Chancellor, 8 East 79th Street, New York,
NY 10075 or on-line on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
of America.

> == 30 ==