by David Nelson and Evelyn Pittas

ty from a variety of professional fields to share personal stories from key moments in their lives through which they learned resilience.

Here is what some of our 2020-21 speakers said during the 2020-21 Resilience Series:

A.J. Ginnis, US World Cup Skier, ACS Athens Class of 2012 “No one expected that I would come back and be where I was prior to my injury…So, having to exceed those expectations changes the playing field. I set my goals higher and Dartmouth University gave me the opportunity to achieve them.”

“I am passionate about this sport. I love it. It is what I do.”

“I have been injured a bunch, and it kind of sucks having to sit out. But, what that has really taught me is the highs can’t be too high and the lows not too low…. I feel like mentally I am at a better place, where I am more free and a lot less judgmental of myself, which has allowed me to perform better than in prior years.”

Dr. Greg Pattakos, Cardiac Surgeon, ACS Athens Class of 1998 “It has been a long road to get here in Athens and to work as a surgeon. It took me 19 years of training in the USA to get here…. I started, like many people who succeed at complicated tasks, but looking at the end point and planning backwards from there.”

“There have been multiple times when my own resilience was tested… don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal… The thought of the end goal that makes you able to endure all the struggles that you need to endure. There were times along the way that I wanted to quit… but it is the vision of who I wanted to be that kept me motivated.”

“My definition of resilience is someone who can handle an insult, attack, or problem and keep on going. It is having the elasticity and ability to bounce back. The most important thing is to admit that none of us is perfect. The people who succeed have failure after failure, but keep going to work every day…work hard and keep trying to do better.”

Who Might We Look Up To For Inspiration In Times Of Crisis? ACS Athens Academy Resilience Award and Speaker Series

by David Nelson, Academy Principal and Evelyn Pittas, Academy Vice-Principal

Themes bring people together under a common cause and they allow us to discover valuable life lessons from others and from ourselves. This year’s Academy theme of resilience, carried the currency of the times and provided numerous opportunities for all of us in the ACS Athens Academy, including students, teachers, staff, parents, and guardians alike, to reflect on the qualities of life and leadership that lead to success and happiness.

The ACS Athens Academy Resilience Award was presented to students for demonstrating a growth mindset through adaptability, optimism, and the ability to bounce back in the face of the multiple challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those awarded represent students in our community who support others with a sense of purpose and they address challenges within their own locus of control.

We not only learned about the qualities and impact of resilience and persistence from each other in our classrooms and activities such as Forensics, but also from enlightening guest speakers who joined the entire student body and faculty virtually to share their own resilience stories. We invited ACS Athens Alumni and former faculDr. Jeffrey Levett, International Gusi Peace Prize recipient in 2019, former Faculty member of ACS Athens “I learned from my great-grandmother when I was young that, ‘no matter where you go, no matter who you meet, no matter what color, not matter what creed, no matter what age, you can always learn something…. It is the most important thing that we have.’”

“In moments of perceived failure, it is easy to believe it’s too late, that we’ve lost our chance at a life of purpose and worth. The space landing vehicle Perseverance recently touched down late on Mars looking for the existence of life... Perseverance, what a great name. I Have a Dream that helps me through: The destination, makes it worth the while, pushing through the darkness, still another mile. It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive!”

Ariel White, Attorney at Law, Partner of the M&A Corporate Finance Team in London, ACS Athens Class of 2000 “What resilience means to me…for me, it means the ability and courage to pivot; it means not allowing challenges to knock you down… and having that inner strength, conviction and mindset to actually welcome challenges and use them to show you the right path.”

“My resilience during my career journey has been critical to helping me get to where I am today. I am particularly proud of being the first black female partner in the London office and one of only 15 black female partners in all of the UK.”

“I never, never let go of my dream to become a partner and when curve balls came my way, I learned how to pivot… My parents instilled resilience in me. I am the daughter of a Greek immigrant to the U.S. and an African American father from the deep South in the United States… both became the first of their family to finish school, driven by an acute desire to better themselves, to elevate themselves out of poverty, and to be brave. They have passed on to me the drive, and expectation, to appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before me and to honor them by bettering myself. That was lesson number one for me. To know my history and honor those before… we all stand on the shoulders of others… which, gives me enormous strength and inner strength…. I knew from my parents that education was the pathway, for which I worked extremely hard to be well-rounded… I was fortunate to have at ACS Athens.”

“The biggest lesson for me is to just not give up when things get tough and to reframe things when we make mistakes. That’s what I credit to being where I am: I have worked hard to master my craft. I have thought hard about my why. I am living in alignment with my passions and my drive. I am staying true to myself … doing things in my own way with authenticity… that’s the formula for me to build resilience.”

“My ‘handicaps’ became my superpowers!”

A.J. Ginnis, US World Cup Skier, Class of 2012

Dr. Greg Pattakos, Cardiac Surgeon, Class of 1998

Resilience Award, 2020

Resilience Award Recipients