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Hellenic American University Holds Inaugural CommencementHellenic American University Holds Inaugural Commencement (Athens, Greece) Hellenic American University “the American University in Greece” recently held its Inaugural Commencement Ceremony at the Gennadius Library, Athens, with over 350 persons in attendance, including students, parents, faculty, staff and the entire University Board of Trustees. New Hampshire Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, a member of the Committee on Education and Labor in the United States House of Representatives was the Commencement Speaker. At the graduation ceremony, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. She was honored for her public service and for the “integrity, compassion, and dedication that mark her life and work on behalf of ordinary Americans.” In her Commencement Address, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter told the graduates: “We are welcoming you in your new role as citizens of the world, ambassadors to all, leaders!” “Your education and your cultural experiences will be your tools as you journey through your life, sharing what you learned here, that most people are good. And we can, and we should celebrate our different cultures and that by working together, we are a stronger, more prosperous, more harmonious world. You must use the education you received at the Hellenic American University to shine a life for others to see.” Diane Larsen-Freeman, Professor of Linguistics and Professor of Education at the University of Michigan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for her ground-breaking work in second language acquisition and seminal contribution to the field of teacher education. Professor Freeman is one of the leading figures in the field of linguistics. She is the author of numerous books on grammar, teacher education, language teaching methods, and second language acquisition. Chris Spirou, President of Hellenic American University, one of the Universitys co-founders, presided at the graduation ceremonies. In his remarks to the graduates, President Spirou said: “My dear graduates, I have been blessed in my life with more good fortune than I can even begin to describe to you. I come from humble beginnings . . . I was a barefoot boy in the mountains of Thessaly during the Civil War that ravaged Greece in the late 1940s.” “I knew nothing about the world beyond my small village of Porti-Karditsas, nothing beyond the killings and the hunger that prevailed around us, nothing beyond how to avoid the bullets and the landmines, and how to gather the wild greens that kept my family from starvation.” “But for reasons none of us mortals is privileged to know, the gods of Mt. Olympus smiled upon me. . . I was among the lucky ones to survive the German Italian occupation and the Civil War that followed, and to seek my destiny on distant shores.” “And so I left Greece at age 13 for America, where I went from jobs as a shoeshine boy, dishwasher, and shoe factory worker, to marrying and raising a wonderful family, to college and community service work, and soon-- on to a full and fruitful life in politics and business.” “I have lived the American dream. I have lived the American dream and more.” “I have stood with Presidents and Prime Ministers; I have worked with the best and the brightest across 5 continents; and I have met with success in ways I could never have imagined as that young barefoot boy in the village of Porti.” “And yet – never, EVER in my life have I felt prouder or happier than I feel at this very moment.” “Today, under the authority granted to me by the laws of the great State of New Hampshire and by a distinguished and honorable Board of Trustees, my heart bursts with pride to be able to hand you, our first graduates, the diplomas that in a short while you will step forward to receive.” “My dear first Hellenic American University graduates, may your life be as blessed and as gratifying and as full of challenges and rewards as that of the little barefoot boy from Porti. God be with you.” The graduates at the Inaugural Commencement were awarded diplomas of Master in Business Administration, Master of Arts in Translation, Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics, Master of Science in Information Technology and Professional Master of Business Administration. Hellenic American University is a non-profit institution of higher education founded by an Act of the General Court of New Hampshire. Its degree programs are approved, monitored and regularly evaluated by the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission. Hellenic American University offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business, Information Technology, English Language, Teaching, Translation, Psychology, and Music. IMG_3549 University President Chris Spirou & Executive Vice President Leonidas Phoebus Koskos congratulating 2009 class valedictorian Vicky Branika (shown with cap) and the salutatorian Domniki Diamantopoulou Christou. IMG_3667 Hellenic American University Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Lou D'Allesandro and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, recipient of honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, with University President Chris Spirou. IMG_3365 Hellenic American University President Chris Spirou with Commencement Ceremony Speaker Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter and Mr. Spyros Kouvelis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece.
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