Participating in Harvard Summer School 2025: two scholarship recipients from the University of Patras describe their experiences

Guest posts by Panagiota Maneta and Anna Simonidi, Harvard Summer School in Greece 2025 alumnae

Two scholarships are offered annually as part of the collaboration between CHS and the University of Patras—one from each of the two collaborating institutions. These scholarships secure the participation of two University of Patras students in the Harvard Summer School Program in Greece.

Read below the reflections from the two scholarship recipients about their experiences from the summer of 2025. Additionally, you can find more information about the Harvard Summer School Program on our website. For details about these scholarship opportunities, please refer to the latest relevant announcement of the University of Patras.

Panagiota Maneta: “A real opportunity to broaden my horizons”

My participation in the Harvard Summer School Program in Greece, thanks to the scholarship offered to me as part of the collaboration between CHS Greece and the University of Patras, was one of the most decisive stages of my academic and personal journey. It was a real opportunity to broaden my horizons, gain new knowledge and experiences, and forge relationships that continue to inspire me.

Daily contact with distinguished Harvard professors, through lectures and discussions, introduced me to an environment of high academic standards. The opportunity to observe their theoretical approaches and actively participate in dialogue with them was a privilege that provided me with valuable guidance for my future career in architecture.

The program was directly related to my field of study. Visits to archaeological sites and monuments brought theoretical knowledge to life, making the course not only interactive but also highly relevant to my passion for space and culture. This experience culminated in the final project I completed as part of the program, a project that managed to capture the creative synthesis of knowledge and experience which, to my great delight, was published in an architecture magazine.

The multicultural nature of the program was also particularly valuable. Living alongside students from different countries and cultural backgrounds provided me with a wealth of experiences and opportunities to exchange ideas. The open discussion and diversity of approaches strengthened my critical thinking and enriched my understanding of the role of architecture in the modern world.

Finally, the friendships I made during the program are one of the most valuable outcomes of this experience for me. The shared moments and ongoing contact with people from different backgrounds made the program not just an academic journey, but a life experience.

Overall, Harvard Summer School uniquely combined knowledge, culture, architecture, and human connection, leaving an indelible mark on my journey and inspiring me for the future.

Panagiota Maneta’s short bio

Panagiota Maneta is an architecture student at the University of Patras, with a solid academic background and international professional experience across Europe. As part of an Erasmus+ semester at the Politecnico di Milano, she focused on architectural design and urban planning in historical contexts, working within diverse and multicultural teams. This experience not only deepened her understanding of the relationship between heritage and contemporary practice but also enhanced her collaborative and research skills in addressing complex architectural challenges.

Her professional development has been enriched through internships in different countries and is currently advanced through her work at an architectural firm in Barcelona. Alongside her academic and professional activities, she actively participates in voluntary initiatives and cultural events, which have strengthened her communication skills and ability to engage with varied audiences. She is driven by curiosity, creativity, and a strong sense of social responsibility, constantly seeking opportunities for growth and meaningful contribution.

Anna Simonidi: “The beginning of a new way of thinking, seeing, and hearing the world”

My participation in the Harvard Summer School Program in Greece was an important milestone in my academic career. As a scholarship recipient through the collaboration between CHS Greece and the University of Patras, I had the honor of participating in Harvard Summer School, with the topic “Political and Natural Environments of the Eastern Mediterranean from Antiquity to the Present: Comparative Cultural Approaches.” The program combined study, experiential learning, and cultural dialogue, offering a unique meeting ground between academic research and personal discovery.

The program took us from Thessaloniki and Ancient Olympia to Nafplio and Athens. Thessaloniki was our first stop: a city full of memories and sounds. There, with Eurydice Georganteli and Gregory Nagy, we traveled from Minoan Crete to Asia Minor, crossing centuries and civilizations. In the weeks that followed, Emma Dench’s and Michael Puett's teaching led us to compare the Roman and Chinese empires, while Dimitri Kastritsis brought us closer to the Ottoman heritage and its influence on modern Greece. These discussions opened up new paths for understanding history as a living dialogue between cultures, ideas, and environments.

In Nafplio, seminars by Ilham Khuri-Makdisi, Anna Stavrakopoulou, Dimiter Angelov, and Yota Batsaki delved into issues of migration, the environment, power, and cultural identity. From the study of refugee flows in the modern Mediterranean to the concept of tyranny in Greek tradition, each lesson provided an opportunity for deep discussion and personal reflection.

Visits to sites such as Philippi, Mycenae, Olympia, and the Acropolis of Athens transformed theoretical knowledge into direct experience. Each monument revealed something about the continuity of Greek civilization and the way in which time coexists with human creation. Amidst ruins and inscriptions, history ceased to be a narrative and became an experience.

Beyond the lessons and texts, what gave the experience greater substance were the people. The discussions, the hours spent studying together, the walks in the cities we visited, but also the moments of relaxation and spontaneous joy, created a small community that united us deeply. This human dimension of the program gave rise to friendships that continue to connect us across time and space.

Reflecting on this experience, I feel deeply grateful for the opportunity I was given to participate in a program so rich in knowledge, people, and images. In conclusion, what remains with me is not the end of a program, but the beginning of a new way of thinking, seeing, and hearing the world.

Anna Simonidi’s short bio

Anna Simonidi is a final-year student at the Department of Philology of the University of Patras, specializing in Classical Studies. Her research interests focus on ancient Greek and Byzantine literature, with an emphasis on philosophy, historiography, and rhetoric. She is also involved in papyrology and epigraphy, exploring how traces of speech preserved in material culture shed light on the histories of writing and memory.

She has participated in international summer schools and research programs, including those at Leiden University and Oxford University, where she had the opportunity to engage in creative dialogue with different approaches to Classical Studies.

At the same time, for the past two years, she volunteered as a teacher of Ancient Greek at the Municipality of Patras, promoting the importance of classical studies in modern education.

Her goal is to continue her postgraduate studies, delving deeper into the study of ancient texts as living carriers of knowledge and culture. For her, philology is not just a field of research, but a way of engaging with tradition, memory, and the present.