Demetrios Fotopoulos ‘25 is a psychology and Greek & Roman civilizations major with minors in European studies and constitutional studies. During the summer of 2024, he traveled to Athens, Greece, with support from the Nanovic Institute and the Snider Family, to conduct a psychological study that examined the resilience and grit of employees working at non-government organizations (NGOs).

As I exited the airport and boarded the blue line Metro train towards the city center of Athens, Greece, the sun was shining and the environment felt familiar. Having studied abroad in Athens during the fall semester of 2023, I was comforted to hear the automated voice listing the Metro stops as I approached my Airbnb in Pangrati. The warm Greek sun and sounds of the city were welcoming me back.

From July 28 to August 12, 2024, a Nanovic Institute Research Grant afforded me the opportunity to conduct a psychology-based research study in Athens. This research was supported by the Snider Family and the Snider Family Endowment for Excellence in European Studies. This grant allowed me to learn the process used to conduct a research study, including creating a literature review, conceptualizing a methodology, creating qualitative and quantitative data collection forms, navigating Notre Dame’s Institutional Review Board to receive approval, securing clearance and access into the research site, learning analysis skills and writing the findings for publication. I would like to thank the Snider Family for helping me accomplish this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I also thank the Nanovic Institute for European Studies as a contributor to this process.

Nanovic’s advice and support [on this journey] was quintessential in making this research a reality.

Within the context of my experience abroad, the NGO employees I worked alongside aim to provide support to refugees and asylum-seekers on Europe’s periphery. Because navigating Greek bureaucracies can be especially difficult for non-Greek-speaking refugee and asylum-seeker (RaAS) populations, employees at this NGO provide free access to mental health services, educational resources, social inclusion activities, documentation support, and labor market connections to all who enter their doors. Thus, navigating the traumas and challenges of RaAS people is often difficult and emotionally taxing for NGO employees. The goal of my summer research was to better understand the resiliency and grit of non-governmental organization (NGO) employees and determine what motivates them to return to work each day. This study used a positivist approach focusing on the NGO employees’ strengths. To gain an understanding of their experiences, all the NGO employee participants answered a questionnaire and participated in a structured interview. Currently, I am analyzing and writing up my data with the intent of submitting it to a peer-reviewed publication. This experience and listening to the NGO employees' inspiring stories have shown me that this is important work that I intend to continue into graduate school.

During my time collecting data in Athens, an average day for me would consist of waking early to travel on the Metro to the NGO. Of course, breakfast on the way would be eating a spanakotiropita, a savory spinach-feta pie made with layers of phyllo dough which is a local favorite. During my workday, I was allowed access in the morning so participants could assist people in the afternoon. In the afternoons, this allowed me to review the data, conduct preliminary analysis, and prepare for the following day. In the evenings, I reconnected with local Greek friends I made during my previous study abroad experience. I also visited my go-to local gyro shop to eat chicken gyro pitas. This was one of my favorite places to eat while studying abroad in Athens, so it was a treat to be able to eat there again. This gyro pita was heaven on earth. It is a folded pita bread filled with lettuce, tomatoes, French fries, a mustard-based sauce, and gyro chicken cooked on a Greek vertical broiler. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

In Greece, supported by the Snider Family grant, I also conducted research for the Nanovic Institute’s Sites of Memory project. I photographed, studied, and wrote articles to analyze two Athenian sites: the Acropolis Museum and the Greek Orthodox Christian Church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos and St. Eleftherios. The Sites of Memory project (planned to release in spring semester 2025) seeks to create a database of monuments and locations in cities Nanovic-funded students have visited, giving students like myself the chance to immerse themselves in local heritage sites. The articles I wrote highlighted how Athenians remember these places of ancient Greek and Byzantine history within the context of Greece’s European present. I grew to deeply understand the cultural significance of these sites for modern Athenians while adding to this new Nanovic initiative.

I also had the opportunity to visit family while abroad. In Athens, I was able to spend time with my cousin, who studies computer science, and experience some of her favorite restaurants. I visited family in my ancestral hometown of Argos, Greece, and spent time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I had missed them dearly, so being with my Greek family was the icing on the cake of a lovely, productive, and educational trip.

The funding for this trip from Nanovic and the Snider Family allowed me to experience something truly unique while at Notre Dame, and for this I am extremely grateful. I would advise future Nanovic-funded students to reach out to the staff at the Nanovic Institute while abroad. Not only are they able to give you support and advice regarding navigating your host city and conducting high-quality and intensive research, but they also express genuine curiosity about your experiences in Europe.

Nanovic wants to hear about the amazing experiences you are enjoying abroad, so by no means should you feel shy; share with them freely and see the wonderful ways Nanovic can make a good adventure even greater.

Originally published by Demetrios Fotopoulos at nanovic.nd.edu on November 07, 2024.