An article by Constantine S. Sirigos which recently featured in the Greek-American newspaper The National Herald gives an interesting insight into Vassilis Sgoutas’ keynote lecture: The Urban Realities of Athens as part of CYA’s 2nd Annual Student Conference on the Concepts of Urban Design and Public Space in Greece Throughout the Ages.

Cover Photo: Spring ’18 Student, Kelsey Serraneau.

Starting their studies in Athens, two Spring Semester students, Kelsey and Lizzy, knew they wanted to engage with their surroundings through volunteering. CYA’s director for student affairs, Nadia Melinioti, connected Lizzy and Kelsey with Welcommon, a model community center for hosting and promoting social inclusion for refugees. The project is funded by EU through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) under the “Relocation Scheme Program” delivered in the City of Athens.Throughout Spring Semester, Lizzy and Kelsey each ran her own English language class for refugees living in Athens.

On a sunny afternoon in Pangrati, we caught up with current CYA student, Gretchen Bednarz,  to have a chat about how she has been spending her free time; teaching German at a community center and shelter for refugees.

Even though the sun is bright and the weather hot, we all have to get through the requisite final exams and papers before we can fully enjoy summer. At CYA, that isn’t too difficult. We are surrounded by a historic city with countless cafes, bustling with activity as tourism season begins. I interviewed a few of my peers to see where they enjoyed doing their work most. As someone who alternates between readings in bed and the local cafes, I definitely have some more exploring to do!

CYA’s 2nd Annual Student Conference,  Concepts of Urban Design and Public Space in Greece Throughout the Ages took place on May 2 -3, 2018.

The Annual CYA Student Conference is a long inspired dream of our academic community and reflects CYA’s dedication to building strong academic foundations for our students. The success of the 2nd Conference indicates that the annual event will become a tradition for our institution.