Stergiani lives with her family in Sisani, a small village near Eratyra, Kozani, and this year she completed the 2nd grade at the Junior High School of Eratyra. She likes her school very much and, as she says, although it is admittedly small, there are many advantages. To get to her school, Stergiani takes the bus with three other classmates every day. “Sometimes it is quite difficult because the bus often cannot coordinate with the school's schedule, and students that come from the nearby village sometimes have to wait for hours, so this part is difficult”, she explains. However, she goes on to say that she is happy and grateful to be able to attend school in Eratyra. “It is quite convenient that at least there is this one bus that can come and pick us up. I get to meet other kids beyond the village where I live, whom if I went to another school, I wouldn't know ”. The interaction with kids her age is very important for Stergiani, who further explains how essential the school and its activities have been for her. “It is very important to me because in my village there are very few kids, and specifically in the school,even fewer girls, so getting to know more kids and creating more friendships is good for our socialization and might even help us academically”.
Music is one of Stergiani’s main interests, and at school, her favorite subjects are Biology, as she explains, through which “you discover new things about living organisms and the world around you”, Music, and Literature. Since she is not yet sure what studies or profession she would like to pursue in the future, one of the reasons she got excited about The Tipping Point Program was to explore her interests. “At first, I was quite excited about the program because I hadn't yet found what I wanted to follow and believed it would help me, which it did”.
Stergiani starts narrating her experience during the first session and her initial impressions of the program. “At first, I was shy because it was something I had not experienced before, but I listened and I liked that I could learn things, ask questions, and not just about one topic but different topics each time”. The interaction with the mentors of The Tipping Point was something she particularly appreciated. “I really liked that we talked to people from different countries and places. It was very pleasant to talk to them; they were not strict, nor did they just talk without listening to us. If someone had a question, the session would stop immediately to answer it as best as possible. This was very useful”, she notes, adding, “Sometimes it was very nice that we could be all together as a school and not just our class because there were questions we might not have thought of, but other kids did and asked on our behalf, which is very good. This way we learn new things”.
Many sessions impressed Stergiani, but she particularly remembers the discussion with an astronomer about space and planets and one with an astronaut. She was also impressed by the discussions held related to the police, as well as one with a Paralympic athlete through which she learned more about sports and disability.
Another session that stood out to Stergiani was with Mrs. Stergitsa Zamagias- Hill, CEO of The Hellenic Initiative Australia, the organization supporting the Junior High School's of Eratyra participation in The Tipping Point Program. Stergiani shares her impressions: “I really liked it because Australia is a country with many Greeks, and it is a country I particularly like. I was impressed by how these people, although they live in Australia, try to do their best for Greece, things that we, living in our home country, might not be willing to do”.
At the end of our conversation, Stergiani mentions her classmates. “At first, everyone was more shy and reserved; maybe at the beginning, not everyone was sure, but I believe that after several sessions, they also started to open up, be more comfortable, ask more questions, or seek advice, and they started to like it more as they learned and heard new things”.
“I would like to continue participating in the program next year, to have more sessions and learn more things, maybe even talk about another topic that interests me, which is medicine”, concludes Stergiani, adding about her own dreams, “I would like to work either as a biologist or as an astronomer, which I also like”.
