Peter Agris Memorial Scholarship for Greek Americans pursuing careers in journalism and communications.
The Alpha Omega Council honors its late founder Peter Agris by presenting the Peter Agris Memorial Scholarships annually to several young Greek Americans pursuing studies in the fields of journalism or communications. Established and conducted in cooperation with the Agris family, the program marked its 36th anniversary in 2022, providing $700,000 in critical funding to 136 deserving graduate and undergraduate students and creating a national network of Greek American media professionals.
Peter Agris was the founder and publisher of The Hellenic Chronicle, for fifty years the premier Greek American national English-language weekly newspaper in the United States. Mr. Agris was an Archon of the Greek Orthodox Church and a Trustee of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology, as well as of Anatolia College, and of The American College of Greece. Mr. Agris was also an AHEPAN, and he worked tirelessly throughout his life to improve relations between the United States and Greece.
Criteria for Scholarship candidates include:
- Being of Greek American descent and U.S. citizenship
- Current full-time enrollment as a journalism or communications major at the graduate or undergraduate level at an accredited college or university in the United States
- Active participation in school, community, church organizations
- A minimum of a 3.0 GPA and demonstrated financial need
The $5,000 non-renewable annual scholarships are presented at The Alpha Omega Council’s Annual Lifetime Achievement Award Banquet typically held in the Fall of each year. At this event, a prominent Greek American is honored for his or her lifetime of professional achievement and contributions to Hellenism.
2024 Award Recipients
NICHOLAS ANTONAKAS is a senior at Emerson College majoring in Sports Communication with a minor in Journalism. Nicholas interned with WCVB Channel 5, is an executive producer for sports and web writing at Emerson’s broadcast news station WEBN, and served as the Sports Producer at Arlington Community Media Inc. for two years. He was selected to travel with WEBN to cover events, including Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. While reporting at the Super Bowl, he interviewed popular NFL names such as Jerry Rice and Robert Kraft. Nicholas hopes to find a career in broadcast journalism after graduation, preferably following his passion for sports. Nicholas is the son of Peter and Nicole Antonakas of Arlington, MA.
MARIANA APOSTOLATOS is a senior at the University of Miami pursuing a major in Journalism with a minor in Strategic Communication. Mariana interned for CNBC’s Talent Development Team and local Miami news station WSVN 7 News and was a production assistant for NBC’s Republican Presidential Debate in Miami in 2023. On campus, she is a student news anchor and reporter for Newsbreak, a fast-paced news show on UMTV University of Miami Television. Additionally, Mariana contributes as an entertainment reporter for Distraction Magazine’s TikTok channel, focusing on fashion and campus culture, and previously served as an editorial intern for PhotoBook Magazine, an online fashion magazine. Before attending the University of Miami, Mariana studied for a year at the American College of Greece in Athens, where she became the lead reporter for the Videography Club and served as the main reporter and interviewer at the Women’s Sailing Festival at the Athens International Sailing Center in 2022. Mariana aspires to a career in entertainment journalism. Originally from Kefalonia and Glyfada, Greece, Mariana is the daughter of Nick and Vily Apostolatos of Bronxville, NY.
ILEANA EXARAS is a master’s degree candidate at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She received her undergraduate degree in International Relations at Lehigh University and also studied Post-Soviet Public Policy at Moscow State University & Moscow State Institute for International Relations. Ileana has held internships at CNN International, in London, Euronews in Paris, and the Press Office of the Greek Embassy in Moscow. She has also participated in emerging leader training programs in Greece, Vienna, and Armenia and has freelanced for The Knockturnal Magazine in New York City. Raised between Athens and New York City, she is a native English and Greek speaker, has intermediate knowledge of Russian and Spanish, and is also involved with music, dance, and theatre. Ileana is the daughter of Spiros Exaras and Yanna Katsageorgi of Athens, Greece.
KATHERINE DOROTHY MANATOS is a junior at New York University pursuing a major in Media, Culture, and Communications, and a minor in the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. She is actively involved as a copy editor in the NYU newspaper Washington Square News and recently worked as a publicity intern for The Oriel Company. Throughout her studies, she has maintained a focus on arts journalism and public relations. Katherine is the daughter of Nicholas and Despina Manatos of Wall, NJ.
ANASTASIA PETRIDIS is a junior at Emerson College pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a minor in Pre-Law. She has previously interned at The Somerville Times and ENSPIRE Magazine and has photojournalism contributions to The National Herald, Greek City Times, and The Hellenic Daily News, NY. Her work has appeared in the publications of several journalism organizations on campus, including Gauge Magazine, Five Cent Sound Magazine, WEBN News Boston, and The Berkeley Beacon. Passionate about photojournalism, she hopes to continue projects surrounding the Greek American diaspora. Anastasia is the daughter of Dimitrios Petridis of Athens, Greece, and Aristea Slikas of Philadelphia, PA.
ELENI TECOS is a junior at Northwestern University double-majoring in Journalism and History while simultaneously pursuing the Segal Design Certificate through the McCormick School of Engineering. At Northwestern, Tecos serves as the Director of Design & Managing Editor of Scene + Heard Magazine and the Head of Design & Arts Editor of Helicon Literary + Arts Magazine. In addition, Eleni is an established graphic designer with Northwestern’s Student Affairs Marketing firm and plans to pursue graduate work in Medill’s Accelerated Master’s Program. Raised in Metro-Detroit, Eleni is the oldest child of Bill and Gina Tecos.
