ACT Commencement 2016

It was an emotional and joyful evening for ACT’s graduating undergraduate and graduate students celebrating the successful completion of their studies. During the 2016 Commencement ceremony which took place on campus, at ACT’s open amphitheater, certificates and diplomas were awarded to all graduates, as well as awards given to students who excelled in academia, but also in sports and other extracurricular activities offered by the non-profit educational organization. As every year, ACT also awarded the Philip and Marjorie Ireland Humanitarian & Public Service Award. This year, the prize was awarded to non-profit NGO A 21 for its work against human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor.

The commencement speech this year was given by Marina Hatsopoulos, a successful US entrepreneur and angel investor of Greek descent, who is also Chairperson of the Board and investor in Levitronix Technologies, the worldwide leader in magnetically-levitated motor technology. Using Greece, Aristotle and Alexander the Great as points of reference in her speech, Ms. Hatsopoulos addressed the graduating students with disarming directness, sharing with them the valuable experience she gained throughout her professional career.

“One of the most fulfilling sources of happiness is having an impact and making change in the world around you. Stay and do that. Greece needs clear-minded, well-educated youth to do nothing less than help steer it on a new course. In just a blink of an eye, your generation will be leading the world, and you’ll know these people: the politicians, entrepreneurs, journalists, artists and teachers who shape lives and countries. You can even be one of them. Forget about the American Dream. You should create the Greek Dream” urged Ms. Hatsopoulos.