The Hellenic Medical Society of Australia (HMSA) together with the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) successfully hosted the inaugural HMSA Careers Day on Saturday, September 7 at the Greek Centre in Melbourne.
The organisers were heartened by the turnout, with 150 people in attendance and the collective engagement of all participants.
There was strong messaging throughout the day, especially from the President of the GCM, Bill Papastergiadis OAM, as well as the panellists, regarding the importance of networking and connecting with their peers and professionals alike.
There were more than 30 Greek Australian professionals, representing a number of fields including medicine, law, business, creative arts and more. They were present to talk to and connect with the students, answer their questions and help provide guidance regarding their future career aspirations throughout the breakout sessions and the networking session.
Prominent panellists included Dr Arthur Kokkinias (Adult Psychiatrist and secretary of the HMSA), Yianni Zaparas (Managing Partner of Zaparas Lawyers), Ross Savas (Managing Director of Kay and Burton Real Estate Agency), Melissa Pateras (Founder and CEO of Meleros Cosmetics) and Kathy Tsaples (Author, chef, owner of Sweet Greek).
Panellist Dr Ben Filipopoulos (Cardiology Registrar and Research Fellow, HMSA Board member) said, “the careers day was a thoroughly enjoyable event and it was fantastic to see so much involvement from both students and professionals, united together through a common love for their Hellenic heritage. We hope it offered students guidance and assistance in their decision making.”
City of Darebin Councillor, Pharmacist and Lawyer, Emily Dimitriadis added, “it was an insightful afternoon, hearing stories of resilience, persistence and triumph – ultimately inspiring our Greek youth to follow their dreams and do what they love.”
According to Dr Athina Pirpiris, who helped to organise the HMSA Careers Day, “the event was an exemplar of the strong bond Greek Australians of all generations continue to have with their heritage and traditions.”
“The event was also a timely reminder of the enormous contribution Greek Australians have made to the Australian socioeconomic fabric, and the importance of imparting our community’s collective wisdom and insight to the Greek Australian leaders of tomorrow,” Dr Pirpiris added.
Students and parents gave positive feedback, with some students especially enthusiastic about the opportunity to seek advice and learn from the professionals in attendance.
“It was such a great mix of successful Greek Australian professionals. They were really inspiring to talk to,” one student said.
Another added, “it was helpful to network with the professionals. This has really helped me plan what to do next year.”
Parent Effie Papaioannou said there was “such a distinguished and inspiring group of panellists and mentors for the students to learn from and engage with.”
“As a parent, I was very grateful for the immense effort made by the HMSA and GCM to curate such a special day,” Effie said.
The initiative was developed in collaboration with Associate Professor Marinis Pirpiris, President of the HMSA. His help and support was an important part of establishing an innovative and inclusive platform to provide students with a Careers Day. Assoc. Prof. Pirpiris, who was unfortunately in Greece discussing tertiary and postgraduate collaborations with the Greek Government and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, is committed to helping students connect and successfully navigate their career paths with this project and many more to come.
There was great support from the sponsors and the organisers thank them for their contributions to the event. The sponsors included: Zaparas Lawyers, Accountancy Group, the Commonwealth Bank, Oasis Coffee and Bakaliko Oakleigh.
