Founder Dr. P. Roy Vagelos hosts the second annual FAITH Scholars Luncheon in New York.

We began the New Year on a celebratory note as Founder Dr. Roy Vagelos graciously hosted the second annual FAITH Scholars Luncheon January 5, 2018 in New York attended by twenty of our FAITH Scholars. Past and present recipients of the FAITH Scholarship for Academic Excellence enjoyed the special opportunity to meet Dr. Vagelos and also connect with their fellow FAITH Scholars.

The afternoon was spent celebrating these young leaders, and it was also very interesting to hear their thoughts about their heritage and how it has influenced their academic pursuits and civic-mindedness.

Some of the FAITH Scholars in attendance included Jonathan Kraft, an economics and math major at Yale University who was high school valedictorian and traveled to Lesbos to direct a fundraiser to aid Syrian refugees. Jonathan shared his plans to pursue a career in education. Also attending were Eleni Kohilakis, a biological sciences major at Cornell University who spent the summer interning at Weill Cornell Medicine in the OB/GYN unit, Nicholas Fotopoulos, a molecular biology major at Princeton University and recipient of the Peter T. Kikis Memorial Scholarship recognition, and Christodoulos Constantinou, a biology and economics major studying at Boston University with an interest in orthopedic research.

The attendees shared that they were not only grateful for the support of the scholarships, but they also greatly valued this opportunity to meet Dr. Vagelos and build relationships with the network of other young leaders inspired by our Founders' example of philanthropy and leadership.

Unfortunately, a severe snow blizzard led to several last minute travel cancellations for the New York event, but we hope to host similar network luncheons in other US cities this year – specifically Chicago in May and San Francisco. 

In closing, after spending an afternoon with these young people, we're happy to share that the future looks bright.