The Moorestown pharmacist spoke with Cosmos Philly about her Greek-American upbringing, her work during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and helping younger generations find their place in the community.
When Kathy Iliadis sent each of her three children to college, her advice was direct: find the Greek students, join their organizations, and stay involved.
“Find your people,” she told them. “Those are your people, your instant friends.”
That message grew out of her own experience. In this interview with Eleftherios Kostans, the Moorestown, New Jersey, resident reflects on her upbringing in North Jersey, her pharmacy career, and the years she has spent helping young people remain part of Greek-American life.
Iliadis grew up in Kearny and attended St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Clifton. Greek school, Sunday school, and GOYA, the Greek Orthodox Youth of America, shaped much of her childhood. Her mother was born and raised in Athens, with family roots in Tropaia, Arcadia, while her father came from Hostia, now known as Prodromos, near Thebes in Boeotia.
Her Greek education also played an unexpected role in her personal life. While studying pharmacy at Rutgers University, she met her future husband, Dr. Elias Iliadis, an interventional cardiologist at Cooper University Health Care, in a Modern Greek course.
“Who says Greek school doesn’t pay off?” she said.
The couple had three children, Sophia, Elena, and Nicholas. During her husband’s medical training and early career, the family lived in the Philadelphia area, Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Danville, Pennsylvania, before returning to the region 24 years ago.
Those moves gave Iliadis experience with Greek and Orthodox communities in different parts of the country. In Chicago, she met many third- and fourth-generation Greek Americans whose parishes remained active even when the language was less widely spoken.
In central Pennsylvania, where Greek Orthodox churches were a considerable drive from their home, the family joined an Orthodox Church in America parish in Williamsport so their children could continue attending Sunday school.
After settling in the Philadelphia area, Iliadis became increasingly involved as her children entered parish programs. She served as president of the Greek school parent-teacher organization, advised the GOYA Sights and Sounds arts program, and participated in the Delaware Valley Youth Commission.
Keeping their children involved was a shared priority for Iliadis and her husband. When they left for college, she encouraged them to study Modern Greek when it was available and join Hellenic student organizations.
Iliadis has worked for CVS Pharmacy for 27 years. Today, she works as a support pharmacist, filling shifts at different locations. She said the flexibility helped her balance her career with raising three children.
Her work took on a different urgency during the first COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Beginning in December 2020, she joined one of five CVS teams assigned to nursing homes, assisted-living communities, and group homes across South Jersey.
Over nine weeks, Iliadis said, the teams visited more than 400 facilities and vaccinated over 34,000 residents and staff members.
Iliadis sees cooperation among local parishes as one of the Philadelphia community’s greatest strengths. Families follow the festival calendar from one church to another, while GOYA programs, basketball, arts activities, and religious services allow young people to form friendships across parish lines.
She also recognizes that families now face crowded schedules filled with schoolwork, athletics, music, and other activities. The challenge, she said, is finding a balance without allowing church and Greek-American life to disappear.
“The more you come, the more it becomes comfortable and natural,” Iliadis said.
She believes that involvement should continue after high school. Young adults can join Hellenic organizations, return to their parishes, and begin with small responsibilities, whether helping at an event, joining a committee, or co-chairing a program.
For Iliadis, the work begins by giving young people a place where they feel known and understood.
“This is where you belong,” she said. “These are your roots. These are your people.”
This interview was sponsored by the Greek American Heritage Society of Philadelphia.