FAITH is pleased to announce that 62 university students will receive the 2021 FAITH Scholarship for Excellence in STEM continuation award. Since the program’s inception in 2012, over 200 young Greek American leaders advancing their campuses and communities through innovative and ambitious developments in STEM have received this special recognition and join a broader network of over 600 FAITH scholarship recipients.
From aspiring immunologists and aerospace engineers to future biotechnologists and data scientists, the 2021 FAITH-STEM Scholars averaged a 3.77 GPA and include undergraduates from across the country—such as Vasiliki Frantzis, a mechanical engineer major at Georgia Institute of Technology who completed her second summer interning at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Dmitri Morales, a biomedical engineer at Duke University using AI technology to develop a noninvasive method to measure blood pressure; and Sophia Delis, a neurobiology major at the University of California, Berkeley who teaches low-income high school students how to make informed health decisions and spends her summers volunteering as a medical aid at the United Nations refugee camp in Katerini, Greece.
“FAITH’s commitment to supporting higher education is truly admirable. I am grateful to be a FAITH-STEM scholar and join a cohort of amazing and bright Greek American college students. I feel blessed to be included in this network,” said Peter Jordanides, a sophomore at Ohio State University researching molecular mechanisms of oral carcinogenesis in the pathology lab.
At the recommendation of FAITH Founder Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, the FAITH Scholarship for Excellence in STEM program was established to promote interest in STEM disciplines among young Greek and Hellenic leaders by supporting all four years of candidates’ undergraduate studies provided they major in a STEM field, maintain a 3.6 minimum GPA and participate in organizations related to the Greek Orthodox and Hellenic community throughout their college career. In order to be considered, applicants must apply for the FAITH Scholarship for Academic Excellence their senior year of high school.
In addition to their academic achievements, FAITH-STEM Scholars use their talents and skillsets to expand their philanthropic endeavors and invest in their Greek communities. Tatiana Pavlides, a biomedical engineering major at Case Western Reserve University, is leading an initiative to make her parish more sustainable. Maria Tangalos, a pharmaceutical development research assistant studying engineering at the University of Southern California, leads weekly science experiments for underprivileged students in the Los Angeles school district. Anna Smith, a nursing major at Loyola University, is a translator and patient educator in COVID-19 vaccination clinics and Evangelos Barous, a research assistant and electrical engineer major at Northeastern University, designs devices with Enabling Engineers that provide greater independence for individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities.
“I use the additional motivation and belief that FAITH has instilled in me to be the very best not only for myself, but also for the Hellenic community,” said Gregory Kostakis, an electrical engineer major at Oakland University who founded the Engineers for a Sustainable World Club to implement hands-on sustainability projects across campus.
Since its inception with additional support from its members, FAITH has proudly awarded over 1,720 grants and scholarships to the best and brightest young leaders of the Hellenic American and Greek Orthodox community through its prestigious FAITH Scholarships for Academic Excellence, FAITH-STEM scholarships, Fulbright-FAITH Scholarship collaboration and more. Last year, FAITH launched the Strategic Leadership for Transformative Action (SLTA), an executive education certificate course in non-profit management to cultivate clergy and lay leaders of the community in partnership with The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
“The Founders of FAITH are proud to support this important initiative to inspire the best and brightest young people to become future leaders within our community and their professional fields. Furthermore, a background in STEM subjects will be critical for obtaining graduate training and jobs in science, technology and engineering in the future. Our nation needs, and will need, people well-trained in these fields in order to remain globally competitive,” said Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, FAITH founder and program chair.
In addition to announcing the 62 recipients of FAITH Scholarships for Excellence in STEM, FAITH has also announced another 82 recipients of the FAITH Scholarships for Academic Excellence, making this year’s class of FAITH Scholars the largest since the Endowment’s inception.
For more information, email info@thefaithendowment.org.
