Greetings at the anniversary event of Greek News and Radio FL
Dear Ioanna Lazarou,
Dear and dear friends,
distinguished colleagues, journalists, writers and academics,
Dear Greeks and philhellenes from Greece, the United States and from every corner of the world,
It is truly a great joy and a special honor to be with you today, even from a distance, at this important anniversary meeting to mark five years of his life and creative presence. Greek News and Radio FL.
Five years is not just a number. It is five years of work, perseverance, creation and, above all, love for Hellenism, the Greek language, culture and communication between Greeks, wherever they are.
And behind this effort is a person whom I have met personally and with whom I had the special pleasure of collaborating excellently: our dear Ioanna Lazarou.
Ioanna is one of those people who do not treat journalism and communication simply as a profession. They treat it as a mission. As a way to create bridges. Bridges between Greece and the Greek diaspora, between generations, between science, culture and society.
I had the special pleasure of hosting her at the work of 11th International Summer University "Greek Language, Culture and Media", in Boston, in 2025, where she participated as a speaker. There we had the opportunity to see in practice what we all recognize today: her substantial contribution to the creation of a dynamic communication network of Hellenism.
And it is particularly symbolic that today's event unites people and institutions from such different parts of the world: from Florida to Boston, from Chicago and California to Europe and Scandinavia, from Greece to Ukraine. Universities, journalists, writers, researchers and people of culture come together around a common reference: Greece and Greek culture.
On the side of , it is a special pleasure to be present today.
Because the University is not just the classrooms, the laboratories and the research. It is also the people. It is the collaborations that travel beyond geographical boundaries. It is the knowledge that meets society and becomes communication, culture and creation.
And in this effort, through the media of the diaspora, the work carried out by the Greek News and Radio FL has special significance.
In an era in which the world is changing rapidly and distances are shrinking thanks to technology, there is one thing that remains constant: our need to keep alive our language, our memory, our culture and the sense of belonging to a large community of people.
That is exactly what you are serving.
And for this reason, Ioanna, I want to personally wish you to continue this beautiful journey with the same strength, the same passion and the same love. You and your wonderful and fighting partners!
Five years is an important anniversary, but I hope it is only the beginning. May many more years of creation follow, even more collaborations, and even greater openness to Greece, the Greek diaspora, and the world.
Because Hellenism is not just a place.
It's a relationship.
It is a language.
It is a culture.
It is a memory that is passed down from generation to generation.
And it is, above all, the people who create bridges so that this relationship is never lost.
So, Happy Birthday to Greek News and Radio FL!
Ioanna, we thank you for what you have created and for what you continue to offer.
From the University of Ioannina, from Greece, but also from all of us who believe in the power of the Greek language, culture and communication, we send you our warmest wishes.
Take them seriously! And always with Greece in your heart.
Sincerely Yours
Nicoletta Tsitsanoudi Mallidi
Dean of the School of Education Sciences
Professor of Linguistics and Greek Language
Founder of the International Summer University "Greek Language, Culture and Media"
