From aspiring architects and educators who believe housing and education are basic human rights to future biomedical engineers and data scientists who are already witnessing exciting advancements in their research, this year’s 57 FAITH Scholars for Academic Excellence embody an exemplary and diverse range of innovation, achievement and ambion while displaying an extraordinary spirit of philanthropy and altruism.
We are pleased to celebrate and recognize young people such as Maria Chacona, who worked with the mayor’s office to provide resources to community members battling opioid addiction and Cassandra Leontsinis, who founded a non-profit to deliver softball equipment to kids in the Dominican Republic.
The 2020 FAITH Scholars merit the highest recommendation from their teachers and mentors, earning titles such as National Merit Scholar, class valedictorian, student government officer and scholastic team captain. They are interning in pediatric clinics, brain rehabilitation centers and research labs across the nation. Joanna Papaioannou spent summers sequencing samples of DNA in the Immunogenenetics Laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Dmitri Morales joined a research team advancing the accessibility of health service technologies to undeserved populations.
They are innovative, inventive and focused on the future. Nicholas Hellinghausen developed hands-on science projects to increase kids’ interest in STEM and directed a school-wide recycling campaign, Ephemia Nicolakis founded the sustainability campaign “Eco-Orthodox” to encourage parishes nationwide to reduce their single-use impact and Alexandra Conley organized an educational initiative teaching future voters the importance of civic engagement.
Though pursuing a diverse range of career paths at top universities across the nation, this extraordinary group of young people are bonded by the shared goal to push our community forward through their talents, intellect, benevolence and leadership.
