Scholarship Committee

The Parish of Saint Barbara awarded over $38,000 in Scholarships to twenty students from our community in June of 2004. In the past four years, the community of Saint Barbara has awarded $159,500 in Scholarships to the Students of its community who are seeking a higher education. The Annual Scholarship Sunday was held recently and provided an opportunity for all present to congratulate the recipients and their families.
Dr. Vagos Hadjimichael, Dean of the School of Engineering at Fairfield University, has served as the Chairman of the Scholarship Committee for many years and functioned as the masters of Ceremonies for the presentation. In his opening remarks he stated that: “this scholarship program honors us all in the parish of Saint Barbara. For it is a very powerful expression of our communal vision, of the ideals and purposes that we support. A college education has huge transforming power. It transforms adolescents into thinking men and women. College-bound students enter a life of intellectual rigor, acquire skills and critical judgment, and evolve to serve the principles of faith and justice learned first in this church. It is a noble choice on our part to facilitate this process through the scholarship program. It is our prayer that other Orthodox communities emulate what is being done here at Saint Barbara.”

Dr. Hadjimichael continued by thanking the individuals and families that have established the named scholarship funds. He expressed the thanks of Father Peter and the community to these families by expressing that the value of what these donors and sponsors have done, is best said by Saint John the Chrysostom, the great Christian Hierarch: “A rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much. For that remains his for ever”. Indeed, these endowed scholarships will bring honor to the sponsors and donors, for ever.

He continued by thanking the organizational sponsors of scholarships, Saint Barbara Church and the AHEPA organization; they have made college scholarships part of their mission. Our AHEPA parishioners, in particular, by providing assistance for education, have chosen to underscore the meaning of the letters E and P in the organization’s name, “Educational” and “Progressive”. He then expressed thanks to the Endowment Fund Committee members who manage the funds, and the scholarship committee members who distribute the scholarship assets in accord with the sponsors’ wishes.

The Scholarship Program at Saint Barbara, grew from two endowed scholarships in the beginning of the 1990’s , to fourteen named scholarships this year, and two more to be added next year, for a total of sixteen. Briefly, the named scholarships are in remembrance of beloved persons, or to honor families. They are listed below in the chronological order in which they were established: Mary Alexiades Scholarship, Stella Jean Scarveles Scholarship, James Verinis Scholarship, the John Soteracos Family Scholarship, the Vartelas-Vonetes Family Scholarship, Eugene and Kathryn Lightle Scholarship, Evdos, Alexandra, and Clara Genetos Scholarship, the Klarides Family Scholarship, the Kledaras Family Scholarship, Peter and Tekla Vartelas Scholarship, the Erickson Memorial Scholarship established last year by Jane and Harry Hajedemos, the George Morris Scholarship established this year by Linda Morris and family, the Saint Nicholas scholarship established anonymously, and the Hellenic College/Holy Cross scholarship in memory of the Rev. George Kerames. Next year, the Antonellis Family and the Davey Family Scholarships will be added to the roster. Importantly, the Saint Barbara scholarships and the AHEPA scholarships add strength to the program.

It is important to mention that, as with all scholarship programs, the number of applicants is always greater than the amount of financial aid available. Dr. Hadjimichael concluded his brief introductory remarks by reminding everyone that the Scholarship Committee “thinks no less of the talents and accomplishments of those who will not receive an award this year. We treasure all our young men and women, and cherish their accomplishments, without exception.”