Great news. Hope to come true!!!

According to The Pappas Post «it’s a trip of a lifetime. A fantastic opportunity. A transformative experience. The best two weeks of my life.

This is how Greek American college students described last summer’s Foreign Policy Study Trip to Greece organized by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.

The foundation is now accepting applications for what will be its fifth annual College Student Foreign Policy Study Trip to Greece and Cyprus this summer. The deadline is April 15.

To be eligible, applicants must be Greek American and Cypriot American college students, who are in good academic standing and who are studying political science, international relations, history, government, law and foreign affairs.

“Since its inception, the American Hellenic Institute Foundation has promoted a better understanding of Hellenic issues and strived to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and the United States and Cyprus,” said Nick Larigakis, president of the American Hellenic Institute, who will take the students to Greece and Cyprus. 

“Over the years, we have held conferences on the future of Hellenism in America, and conferences pertaining to our issues to educate and inform U.S. policymakers,» he said. «Through the College Student Foreign Policy Study Trip to Greece and Cyprus we are now able to offer a hands-on experience aimed at our college students to help them have a better understanding and connection of the issues that affect our community and better prepare them to be responsible leaders of the Greek American community.»

The 2013 trip is tentatively scheduled for June 19 to July 5. As was the case last summer, the students will travel to WashingtonD.C., Greece and Cyprus to learn about foreign policy issues related to these two countries, as well as their relations with the United States and the U.S. interests in the region.  Emphasis will be placed on understanding Greek-Cyprus-Turkish relations, issues affecting the southeastern Mediterranean involving Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.

The students’ schedule will be packed with briefings and meetings with officials, as well as tours of historic and cultural sites in Greece and Cyprus.

In Washington, they will have a rare opportunity to meet with Greek, Cypriot and United States officials.

The American Hellenic Institute Foundation, which was established in 1975, is located just steps from the White House.

Student testimonials from last summer’s program

Aletha Vassilakis, University of California, San Diego: This was the trip of a lifetime, and I learned more in two and a half weeks than a whole year in school. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing experience

Alexis Konstantine Angelo, Trinity University: This trip was such a fantastic opportunity. To be able to meet and speak with so many government officials in the Cypriot and Greek governments was an extremely unique experience for me at such a young age. I was able to see firsthand the effects of the Turkish occupation of Cyprus and the struggle, passion, and distress felt by the citizens of Cyprus. By speaking with various representatives in Greece, I was able to begin to wrap my head around the magnitude of the recent economic crisis and the real effects it has had on the Greek population. The experiences and knowledge I gained in both countries far surmounts anything I could have read in a book or news headlines

Andrew M. Pernokas, Boston University: It’s a resource that no book, news source, or class could ever provide. AHI provided an irreplaceable real world experience

Anna Tsiotsias, University of Pennsylvania: The journey to the occupied area showed the true realities of the Cyprus problem. Seeing the desecrated churches, Turkish soldiers, and abandoned buildings on the backdrop of pristine beaches and vacationing Turks impacted the issue in a way that a book or an article never could. Traveling to Cyprus took the way I saw the issue out of a history book and into the present day, giving me a renewed passion for the issue

Maria Romas, University of Maryland: As corny as it sounds, this trip truly redirected my life’s ambitions. In Cyprus, experiencing the occupied area and the horrible sights of desecration – especially of the churches – was indescribable. In Greece, hearing senior-level officials give me the support I needed to supplement my already-established viewpoints about Greek issues enhanced my knowledge and understanding of Greece and reinvigorated my love for the country