Philo4Thought Hellenic Professional Mentoring Initiative is pleased to present our January 2016 Young Professional of the Month! The goal of our publications is to provide positive, successful role models who will inspire the next generation of young professionals. Preliminary criteria for YPM candidates is that they are actively engaged in an entrepreneurial initiative or have made a successful career for themselves, thereby serving as strong role models to the next generation of young professionals. Candidates are typically of Hellenic origin and part of a humanitarian (educational, sociological, scientific, etc.) or environmentally-­‐conscious field. Given the gradual expansion of our readership, we currently interview candidates who embrace a specific Hellenic philosophy best described in a word… Philotimo (φιλότιμο). The most important qualifications all our candidates share are the spirit and compassion to persevere, and the heart to share their knowledge and experience with others.

We had the pleasure of meeting this month’s honoree, Dean Petikas, at a local Hellenic Student Association holiday tour several years ago. He is an avid participant in several events hosted by the National Hellenic Student Association as well as several other local organizations designed to help promote creativity and cultural pride among Hellenic youth. He is a fine example of our Hellenic youth who is at once connected to his family and culture while still pursuing his professional career path in healthcare.

ARTICLE: Education & Environment: Creative Engines Set Sail

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to Dean Petikas for sharing his story with us, to Menios Georgopoulos at MG Design for the creative artwork.