November 17 and 18 brought the 2023 Hellenic American Women’s Council (HAWC) conference to Boston. Building up to this weekend was exciting and a bit stressful for me. Exciting because I felt honored to be one of four speakers on the panel. Nervous because it was the first time, I would be on a speaker panel alongside with more experienced speakers. The conference theme, “A personal Journey to Success” gave me the opportunity to speak about my personal journey to success which of course is what my memoir is about. I would be sharing not only my personal success of strength, perseverance, and overcoming challenges from a very young age but also my success of publishing my memoir this year. I looked forward to spending time with the two local women I respect and admire, Marina Hatsopoulos the moderator and Maria Stephanos a speaker. I looked forward to meeting the other two speakers whose accomplishments and bios fascinated me.
Choosing what I was going to say, preparing and practicing my speech raised my level of “feel-good” anxiety, I guess there is such a thing because it’s how I felt.
The light drizzle had stopped when I arrived at the Colonnade Hotel Friday afternoon eager to experience what the two days held for me. Friday evening gave the participants and guests the opportunity to meet and socialize at a reception hosted by The Consulate General in Boston. It was a delightful and exciting gathering of happy, congenial guests who had arrived from all corners of the United States. A festive atmosphere set the pace for the conference.

The consul general Symeon Tegos, Stella Nahatis, Maria Kechri
Saturday’s festivities began with a Continental breakfast buffet featuring an array of scrumptious delicacies. The speeches which were as unique as each individual impressed and inspired the audience. Maria was called on a special assignment. Marina graciously stepped in and mesmerized us with her journey to success.
- Meet Jane in Chapter 29
I invite you to visit HAWC’S website.