NEW YORK – January 30^th is the day the Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St, John Chrysostom. The Church pays tribute to  their great love of learning and their championing of education, philosophical and theological excellence, and unfaltering commitment to charitable works and faith.

Apropos of the feast day, FAITH: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism, announced:

“We are pleased to highlight five FAITH Scholars who draw inspiration from the life, mission and legacy of the Three Holy Hierarchs and reflect these enduring values in their own lives, education and service.”

The honorees include:

Stavros Spanakis, 2022 FAITH Scholar; Global Studies, Loyola University Chicago – A gifted orator, Stavros was class president, received 1st place in the National St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, and was a state finalist with speech and debate club. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Academic Honors Diploma and a National Honor Society induction. He was marching band squad leader, first chair trumpet, and performed with the orchestra and jazz band. Along with mentoring incoming freshmen, Stavros was in the French club, medical club, theater and the Boys and Girls club and served as GOYA co-president. Stavros is learning six languages and – combining his desire to work in global studies and medicine – he aspires to someday work for the World Health Organization.

Christina Antypas, 2022 FAITH Scholar; History, Fordham University – As a member of Bridge to Literacy, Christina advocated for increased access and awareness to literary enrichment programs in her community. This experience, along with volunteering as a teacher’s assistant, inspired her to combine her passion for academia and accessible education into a future career as an education policy lawyer. In addition to choir and the theater arts, Christina volunteered with GOYA, taught fourth-graders at her parish and was president of the book club.

George Chudley, 2022 FAITH Scholar; Literary Arts & Physics, Brown University – George joined the literary magazine club, Latin club, and speech and debate team and was admitted into the Stony Brook Young Artists and Writers program. He later founded and led ‘East End Inklings’, a teen writers’ group with the library. George tutored, was GOYA vice president, volunteered with his parish’s homeless outreach team, and interned with Luv Michael to raise funds providing jobs for adults with autism.

Julia Love; 2021 FAITH Scholar and Nicholas J. Bouras Memorial FAITH Scholar; Special Education, University of Pittsburgh – When her parish’s Sunday School was suspended due to COVID-19, Julia organized a virtual faith-based education program for young students to continue their learning experience. Additionally, Julia created a time capsule for her parish, interviewing founding members and collecting over 50 years of parishioner memories and photographs to be commemorated and preserved. She was GOYA vice president and organized several outreach efforts including blanket, canned food, and clothing collection. Volunteering at a camp for adults with developmental disabilities and working with kids as an elementary music instructor and classroom assistant led to her decision to pursue a degree in childhood special education.

Julianna Conley, 2017 FAITH Scholar; Pre-Health, University of Notre Dame – Julianna was editor-in-chief for the Notre Dame Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, the humanities editor for an academic journal, and Viewpoint Columnist for the student newspaper where she wrote about philosophical debates and current events. She interviewed students contributing to the community in positive ways as a podcast host for the Student Development Office and served as liturgical liaison for OCF and vice president of the Be Kind Club. She is an ACE Teaching Fellow and pursuing her master’s degree in education.