Past Fellows - Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council (GOAC) at the UN
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PAST FELLOWS
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Theodore Pritsis
Theodore Pritsis matriculated at Hellenic College in 2001, receiving a bachelor’s degree in religious studies in 2005. He received a Master of Divinity at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2009. During the 2007-2008 academic year, he studied on a full scholarship from the Greek Government Scholarship Foundation, focusing on Byzantine history and Ancient Greek philology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He received a Master of Theology in Byzantine history from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Upon graduation, he served in the Office of the Chief Secretariat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
He currently serves as a youth representative to the United Nations’ “Religions for Peace” North America Interfaith Youth Network for the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He is also serving as a Fellow to the United Nations Headquarters for the Department, where he focuses on issues of peace, security and humanitarianism.
Anthony Balouris, Fellow
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Anthony received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Drexel University in 2013 and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in May 2016, where he concentrated on mental health and disability law-related issues.
Previously, he worked at the Disability Right Section of the Department of Justice, focusing on the legal rights of persons with disabilities in the United States. After graduation, Anthony sought a position where he could further cultivate his passion in a new context. He decided to explore the connection between health advocacy and global affairs, including many that are not obvious at first glance.
Therefore, Anthony’s primary focus during his fellowship is on health, specifically communicable diseases, mental health and disabilities. He seeks to advocate for human rights-centered policies related to these areas. He believes combining his legal studies with the Church is a perfect way to achieve his goal, and he is looking forward to serving the Church as an advocate for positive change.
Andrew Romanov, Fellow
A graduate of Arizona State University, Andrew Romanov earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with minors in political science, English linguistics and Russian language. He believes that the crux of democracy is the ability of people to obtain honest, truthful and balanced information, and is a fervent advocate for universal freedom of opinion and expression.
Andrew has a keen interest in foreign policy and international affairs, with particular focus in post-Soviet politics. He has studied in the Russian Federation twice, and once in Tbilisi, Georgia on a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. He was awarded a nationally competitive Boren Scholarship in 2015 for international critical language study.
Before transitioning to focus on public affairs and international studies, Andrew was an award-winning journalist. He began following his passion for communications and media in high school, where in his senior year, he and five other students produced a feature-length documentary about immigration in Arizona—which won a C-SPAN StudentCam award and was featured at the Phoenix Film Festival before enjoying a limited release at movie theaters across the state. In 2015, he worked for several months as a Washington correspondent for PBS Arizona, covering legal stories and often reporting from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Elaina received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Temple University in 2015 and graduated from Eastern University in 2017, with a master degree in International Development, concentrating on refugees and forcibly displaced persons.
Prior to her masters degree, Elaina taught English in Thailand, addressed human rights issues with Burmese refugees, worked with malnourished children who had a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities in a Guatemalan hospital, and implemented social work and art therapy programs for middle eastern refugees in Athens Greece. Her most recent experience was working in Moria Refugee camp and detention center, on Lesvos Greece. There she acted as one of the Shelter Coordinators, providing shelter, among other entities, to the 4,000+ refugees residing within the camp.
Though her experiences abroad, Elaina has recognized that despite all people being created in the image of God, there is a great injustice that prevents people from fully achieving this. Therefore, Elaina’s primary focus during her fellowship is on refugees and those forcibly displaced. She seeks to advocate for human rights-based policies related to these areas. She believes combining her International Development degree with the Church is a perfect way to achieve this goal, and she is looking forward to serving the Church as an advocate for positive change.
