Maybe it is because the school wanted to supply an elegant arena to match the elegance of the speaker. Maybe they figured she would feel comfortable amid the Greek inspired columns that lined the room. Or maybe Elon chose Whitley auditorium to house the event because they just needed somewhere big enough to fit all the theatrical hopefuls who had a question.

One thing is for certain, Dionysus, Greek god of the theater, found favor with Elon University when he sent actress Olympia Dukakis to do a Q-and-A with students on the evening of Oct. 17.

Department chair of performing arts Fredrick J. Rubeck tried to quickly introduce Dukakis but was drowned out by a standing applause.

After the enthusiasm reached a controllable level, students stepped up to microphones on either side of the stage to ask the oracle what advice she had for their blossoming careers.

Her most interesting response was an answer to the question “What has been your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?”

To this she replied her ethnicity.

If you picked up on the ancient Greek references, you could assume Dukakis is Greek. Her last name also gives it away- any ending with an “-is” sound is most likely Greek.

I am Greek- half, which is why the answer sparked such interest. I jumped up and dashed to the front of the auditorium to make sure I could ask the next question: Why?

My knees knocked as I took the microphone and introduced myself.

We let out a ‘Opa!’ when she found out we shared a heritage. Then she began to answer my question.

She told of her childhood and what it was like to be a first generation Greek growing up in America. Compared to the white American girls, her nose was always too big, she had a funny accent and her last name was too long and should be changed to something easier to pronounce.

When my great-grandparents came to America they changed their name from Papathemtroplous to Pope.

She also said that her family was, financially, not well off and they lived in the not-so-nice part of Lowell, Mass. She recalled keeping a knife for protection at age 13. Her parents only had enough to send her brother Apollo to college; she put herself through physical therapy school.

Her father supported her through all her decisions. Unlike many Greek fathers, hers was fine with her marrying a non-Greek.

He also was not upset when she decided she no longer wanted to be a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. Her happiness was his desire and he pushed her to pursue what made her happy.

The support her father gave was apparent throughout the advice she gave students. If you want something so bad, take responsibility and get it.

“Then they can’t define you; you define yourself,” she said. “My work means a great deal to me. It’s how I see myself in life. It’s how I define myself.”

The audience was very receptive to Dukakis’ advice. She was a goddess among the theater students. Unlike other speeches on campus, there was no hint of boredom and not one eye even considered dozing off.

Many students were too busy figuring out how they would gracefully rush the stage to have their question answered before time was up.

After the speech I was lucky enough to bump into the actress outside Whitley. She threw open her arms and hugged me. She found it funny and half expected that her witty and assertive personality was a combination of my mom and yiayia — Greek for grandmother.

She left saying “We Greek women don’t play around!”

Student: Matt Gaffney ’09 - 10/24/07