My name is Rita Papakyriakou. I’ve said hello in more languages than I can remember, and goodbye in even more.  I’m 18 years old, and though my roots are Greek, I’ve lived in seven countries, each one reshaping the way I see the world. Three years ago, I moved to Greece for the first time and began reconnecting with a culture I had only known from a distance—through my family’s stories, the scent of home-cooked meals,  and the quiet pride in my mother’s voice when she spoke our language.

These experiences ignited my fascination with the complexity of the brain— how it shapes our perceptions, drives our choices, and connects us to the world and to each other.

I plan to study Psychology in the fall, driven by the belief that the mind holds both our deepest wounds and our greatest capacity to heal and that understanding it is the first step toward changing not just ourselves, but the world around us!