Irene Petrutiu graduated from Northville High School in June 2025 with Summa Cum Laude and she was also awarded the Presidential Education Award for outstanding academic excellence. She will continue her studies at Michigan State University-Honors College, where she will study Social Sciences and minor in Pre-Law through Lyman Briggs college. 

Her parents are Fr. Teodor and Presbytera Roxana and her sister Nicole also studies at Michigan State. 

She grew up at Sts. Constantine and Helen in Westland, Michigan, and at a young age she saw her Father’s involvement in the church from big roles such as leading the parish council to smaller things like maintenance. By the time she was a teenager, she wanted to get involved and help the community. Growing up in the Greek Orthodox Church, Irene learned the significance of using her time and abilities to help those in need. As the president of Goya, she had the responsibility of picking service projects that would bring an impact to the community. She was blessed to be a part of a vibrant Greek community and was actively involved in the Greek dance group REVMA, church basketball, and MDSC as a camper and as a counselor. Irene has a wide range of friends from different backgrounds and this allowed her to easily relate with those different than her. With this in mind Irene had the opportunity to establish the first Hellenic Student Association at her high school. A goal of the club was to reach out and help the less fortunate. The fundraisers through her club generated funds which were donated St. Basil’s Academy orphanage in New York. She was also a member of National Honors Society and Spanish Honors Society volunteering hundreds of hours for good causes. Recently, in March 2025 Irene became a Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Girls Delegate to the United Nations and participated in the 69th Commission on the Status of Women in New York. She was privileged to be a part of this program, together with the other girls from around the country. Irene is eager to make the most of this opportunity, contributing positively to her church community and society at large. One of Irene’s greatest accomplishments is placing Second at the National St. John Chrysostom Oratorical festival in 2024. Her previous experiences participating in this competition helped her build confidence in speaking in public and expressing her ideas eloquently. Irene is looking forward to this next chapter in her life as she enters college and she will continue to dedicate her time and talents to making a difference. She would like to express her deepest gratitude and appreciation for receiving the Florence G. Stefanou scholarship. This will help her with her future studies.