Post by University of California, Berkeley

“No matter where you go, your heart will always bleed blue and gold.” Everything changed for alum Helen Tombropoulos when she fell in love with UC Berkeley. In 1948, after attending a summer session in classical Greek history and art to deepen her connection to her ancestry, she decided to transfer to Cal. At 20, Helen earned undergraduate degrees in both public law and government. Shortly after, she applied to Columbia University’s graduate program in political science and moved to New York. While living there, she spotted a newspaper advertisement for a position as secretary to the Foreign Minister of Iraq and the entire Iraqi delegation at the United Nations. She applied and soon found herself traveling the world. Seven years later, Helen returned to California and launched a 35-year teaching career in high schools and junior colleges. At 62, Helen joined the Peace Corps, moved to Hungary, and continued teaching. On her weekends, she spent time in her Budapest apartment editing papers for professors submitting work to American universities. When she moved back to California for the second time, Helen joined Stanford University’s department of statistics as program manager for the undergraduate mathematics and computer science program. She stayed there for 24 years. At 88, she retired. Looking back on her early years, Helen described them as “an extraordinary beginning, impossible without Berkeley.” She recalled, “Berkeley was glorious. We had coach Pappy Waldorf revolutionizing Berkeley football. We had the Rose Bowl, the spirit, the crowds, the excitement. And above all, we had faculty that inspired me, and who stirred my love for history and politics.” Full profile: https://lnkd.in/ghXYr3Z8 #CalAlumStory #UCBerkeley