The Hellenic American Women’s Council (HAWC) recently held its annual conference themed “Modern Muses: Celebrating Contemporary Hellenic American Women in the Arts.”
The HAWC Conference was held on November 8-9, 2024, and hosted by the Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
The conference was conceived and planned by Shelly Papadopoulos, HAWC Pacific Regional Director and was supported by HAWC President Theodora Hancock and Members of the Board.
Women came from as far as Greece to attend the epic weekend celebrating the Hellenic American ‘Muses ‘of Southern California: Dina Demetrius, Lilly Scourtis, Vassy Karagiorgos, Aliki Theofilopoulos, Maria Cominis, Constantina Konugres, Katherine Bulovic, Arianna Papalexopoulos, Joanna Topetzes and Valorie Kondos Field.
The attendees were inspired by the grit and grace stories of each of these multi-talented, award-winning professionals. International award-winning director, writer, and actor Socrates Alafouzos, served as Master of Ceremonies. He captivated the audience with his charm, personal anecdotes and insights, enriching the singular event.
The event was supported by other Hellenic women’s organizations and attended by women representing the Hellenic Association of Women in Culture and Tourism hawct.gr and the Lykeion Ellinidon of Boston, Massachusetts bostonlykeion.org .
The highlight of the conference was the awarding of the Aristeon Award by the Honorable Christina Valassopoulos, Consul General of Greece in Los Angeles, to Professor Christina Bogdanou, for her dedication to maintaining our Greek culture and language and serving as Director of the Basil P Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies at Loyola Marymount University.
Event Chairwoman Papadopoulos, wanted to amplify the event and included a raffle with outstanding prizes including stays at amazing places in Greece and gift baskets with books written by Greek American authors. The attendees were delighted to play along and see who would win the trips and other great gifts. The weekend culminated with a Greek night glendi with live music and dancing at the popular Taverna at the Mar Vista.
About HAWC
The Hellenic American Women’s Council (HAWC) is a non-partisan, nationwide network dedicated to empowering Hellenic American women. A 501(c)(3) organization, HAWC promotes awareness of public policy issues and encourages women to take leadership roles in their communities and professions. For more information visit www.hawcnet.org.
