In Memory

Emmanouela Vernikou, P ’10 Alumna

To our great sorrow, the beloved Pierce 2010 alumna Emmanouela Vernikou passed away on October 20, 2016, after a long fight with cancer. Emma was a law student at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, as well as at Deree where she studied Marketing. During her six years at Pierce, she was an outstanding student and the first girl to be elected President of the 15-member student council.

Emma distinguished herself not only by her outstanding academic performance, but also by developing a warm and well-rounded personality, for which Pierce bestowed upon Emma the Minnie Mills Award at her 2010 commencement, as well as the Harvard Book Prize, for the first time since its establishment in the school, at the end of her junior year in 2009.

Her volunteering and activism, her inspirational fighting spirit and the incredible way with which she handled living with cancer, are all aspects of her that are reflected in her personal blog Scars & Scarves.

Her final achievement was securing first place for participation at the 2016 Greece Race for the Cure marathon, with her team The Untouchables, who made an inspiring video after their victory. Her radiant eyes and sunny smile mirrored a profound strength of spirit and soul; Emma will continue to inspire us all.

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