It has been more than 50 years since the Very Reverend Father Miltiades Chryssavgis received a generous bursary and scholarship to study at the University of Melbourne, but he can still remember the significant impact it had on his life.

Miltiades and his wife, Alkistis, have donated $100,000 over recent years to the University to form the Miltiades and Alkistis Chryssavgis Scholarship, awarded annually to a first year Bachelor of Arts student in financial need. Miltiades, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, sees his donation as a way of giving back to the University and the wider community.

“If we enable students to study, it will offer a great service to the community,” he said.

“I think there’s a feeling of satisfaction on my part to be able to give back to the community and my alma mater, and to offer another person the same opportunities.”

Student Julianne Bell received the Miltiades and Alkistis Chryssavgis Scholarship in 2009, and said it came as an enormous relief.

“I’m a self-funded student, and it can be very difficult to balance work, life and study – I have to work much more than is recommended to get by,” she said.

“As I’m doing an Arts degree, I have a lot of reading to do, so it requires a lot of preparation to make sure I get the most out of classes. The scholarship enables me to ease off a little at work, buy textbooks and spend more time preparing for study.”

When Julianne met Miltiades at an Arts event last year, she was touched to hear his personal story and realise it was similar to her own.

“He was unable to support himself and was given a scholarship – and it was really, really nice that he wanted to give back so someone else could have the same opportunities.”

The two also discovered a shared interest in history. Julianne fell in love with ancient history while travelling in Greece, and decided to major in History and Ancient World Studies at university. When Miltiades was granted a scholarship to reside at Trinity College from 1952 to 1956, he majored in History and Classics. In 1956, he was awarded a scholarship for his Master of Arts degree, and studied texts of classical historians and the origin of the Greeks.
Miltiades said it had been a pleasure to meet Julianne and he wished her much success with her studies.

“I am confident that Julianne will succeed in her field, and she will one day give her services back to the community.”