Chicago, IL – The National Hellenic Student Association (NHSA) of North America, Inc. hosted its 21st bi-annual convention in Chicago, Illinois, on April 5-7, 2019. During the conference on Saturday, April 6, at Loyola University’s Beane Hall, attendees had the opportunity to listen to and meet a variety of speakers who discussed topics, shared stories, and answered questions related to the conference theme: Inspiring Next-Gen Leaders.
The convention was emceed by Anthe Mitrakos, journalist and media entrepreneur, and Yanni Metaxas, Alumnus, Boston University. Opening remarks were provided by NHSA’s president Petros Besieris, Ekaterina Dimakis, Consul General of Greece in Chicago, Robert Buhler, Chairman, PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, and Maria Zantidis, Corresponding Secretary, Federation of Hellenic American Organizations of Illinois “Enosis.” The keynote speaker was Victoire Cogevina Reynal, CEO of Gloria, who inspired the audience by sharing the three fundamental things she has learned about doing business with an open heart.
The convention continued with a panel discussion by Dimitris Papageorgiou, program executive at Salesforce and District Governor of AHEPA in Michigan, and Angelo Kritikos, CFO of Havas Chicago group, who shared with the audience their strategies for success by providing real-life examples of what someone can do to live a successful life.
Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council spoke about HALC’s programming and leadership opportunities for the youth. Susy Solis, the owner of Solis Media Strategies, spoke about the importance of personal branding and building confidence. The young author of a recent publication, Life in Letters: A Book About Autism, Lia Assimakopoulos, presented her book about developing an innovative form of communicating with her autistic brother. In closing, the founder of 54Thirty, Yanni Dimoulis, shared his inspiration behind developing a communication tool to help patients communicate with loved ones during life-changing illnesses.
Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about NHSA’s initiatives. During the convention, NHSA formally announced its collaboration with Ariston Foundation, to create the joint Ariston Foundation-NHSA Scholarship, which will provide two merit-based scholarships to students of Hellenic descent studying in the U.S. and Canada. NHSA also shared updates on the Annual Beach Clean Up, which will be taking place in Athens, Greece, on July 6th this year. “Over the past 10 years of hosting conventions, NHSA has grown, not only in the number of attendees but also in the quality of the network provided to our participants,” said NHSA’s President, Petros Besieris.
Between the panels and speaker Q&As, attendees also had the opportunity to network with professionals in their fields as well as interact with their peers during the networking hour. The educational and professional events were coupled with social events, which included a dinner hosted at Six06, a Greek night at Municipal Bar + Diner Co. featuring DJ Serafim, and a visit to the National Hellenic Museum.
“NHSA has brought together students and young professionals through its bi-annual conventions for 10 years. These conventions are educational, professional, and social in nature, providing attendees with a well-rounded, exciting, and inspirational weekend,” said NHSA’s chairman, Konstantine Ouranitsas, as he described the weekend.