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Greek Orthodox Christians who participate in volunteer service as members of their church community should also document this on college applications. A large number of communities assist at food kitchens and in helping needy persons in the community; these experiences fall under civic and volunteer service on applications and always leave a positive impression. In New England, many communities assist with the Philoxenia House, a respite habitat for out-of-town families whose loved ones are receiving urgent health care in the Boston area, to name another fine example of community service. Youth who have participated in Orthodox summer camps like the Boston Diocese Camp should remember to document these experiences, particularly if they held supervisory or volunteer positions to assist campers or clergy. Mention of this on an application may be important if a student should decide to enter teaching or some other field that might require working with people. Likewise, students who assist with Sunday School or youth groups in church communities should document their volunteer efforts. In summary, then, there are three rather simple steps that each college applicant can follow to help ensure that letters of recommendation assist the application process. Prepare a portfolio of scholastic products and items documenting outside activities. Ask beforehand if the selected teacher or individual can write a strong letter of recommendation. Take steps to identify the best teachers and people to write such letters, being sure to offer all possible support and materials. For Greek-Americans, the additional steps of documenting participation in Greek language schools, travel abroad, community service stints performed through the local parish or diocese can greatly aid a student's presentation. By following these guidelines, applicants can help increase the chances that their letters of recommendation will enhance their standing in the application process and perhaps even make their submissions stand out. Mary Papoutsy is a Classicist and former educator at the secondary and collegiate levels. During her professional career she has participated on award selection committees for scholarships and written and judged a number of letters of recommendation for college applications. Together with her husband, Chris Papoutsy, they have founded and are the publishers of the not-for-profit news information service, Hellenic Communication Service. The Papoutsy couple has established an endowed chair in business ethics at Southern New Hampshire University, as well as the John C. Rouman Classical Lecture Series at the University of New Hampshire. For more information about Mrs. Papoutsy, see the "About Us" section of the HCS Home Page. Among the articles that she has contributed to HCS are "Why the Classics?" "Ancient City of Antioch Rediscovered in Worcester," "The Kandylakia of Greece: Shrines to Lives Lost and Saved," "Greek Networking Across the Centuries," "Iconographer Ann Welch Creates Icon-Fresco for a Traditional Island Village," "Doing is Leading: Leadership Qualities Inherent in All Faithful," "Immigrant Passenger Ship Records Now Online: Guide to Retrieving Records from the Ellis Island Foundation Database," and "Greek-American Groups Lobby, Educate About Macedonia History." |
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