On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, Ms. Konstantina E. Botsiou, Professor of Modern History and International Politics at the University of Piraeus with a Ph. D. in Modern History from the University of Tübingen, delivered a speech at the Choremi Theater in celebration of Europe Day, on May 9. Ms. Botsiou was invited by the Athens College High School as part of the initiatives organized by the School participating in the “European Parliament Ambassador School” - EPAS program.

The event started with a short video created by students, which referenced the main treaties in the history of the European Union. Ms. Botsiou then gave a lively and informative account of the importance of the EU, the values it is based on, the aims it serves, and the challenges it is called to face. She then responded to questions by the students who watched the speech live at the Choremi Theater and by those who, for health safety reasons, watched from the classrooms.

Ms. Botsiou held the attention of her audience with her seemingly endless knowledge and the deep understanding of all European and international affairs, and she committed to come back to our School next year. Following the event, Athens College President, Professor Costas Synolakis ’75, hosted a lunch in her honor at the SAKA Club which was also attended by the Athens College High School Director Mr. Konstantopoulos and Assistant Director Mr. Karampatis, and the teacher-advisors of the “European Parliament Ambassador Schools” program, Mr. Palantzas and Mr. Symeonides.

The “European Parliament Ambassador Schools” program was launched in 2016 by the European Parliament, and is primarily aimed at expanding the knowledge of young people on European politics, the values of democracy in Europe, and to showcase the role and functions of the European Parliament which represents European citizens.

The Athens College High School is participating in this program for the first time in academic year 2021-2022, and is a candidate school for the title of “Ambassador School”. This initiative was inspired and guided by Mr. Christos I. Konstantopoulos, Athens College Coordinator and High School Director. A wide range of initiatives have already been enacted, designed and implemented under the supervision of the Teacher Advisors Mr. N. Palantzas and Mr. C. Symeonides who advised and coordinated the students in all such initiatives, while allowing them for room to be creative and independent.

A brief note on Ms. Konstantina Botsiou

She is a Professor of Modern History and International Politics at the University of Piraeus and holds a Ph. D. in Modern History from the University of Tübingen. She is a Foreign Policy advisor to Prime Minister Kyriakos MItsotakis, and has previously served as the General Director of the Konstantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy (KKID) from 2016 to 2018.