Maria Papastathi Takes Manhattan: The CAm Fundraiser has a Uniquely International Perspective

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Maria Papastathi’s first experience living in the US was when her husband landed a full scholarship to study for his MBA in Boston. The move, with their one-and-a-half-year-old son, was a challenging transition. Boston felt less busy and chaotic, very different from the city of Athens. One year later they moved to New York City where Papastathi says the US began to feel much more like home. The city’s eclectic mix of cultural venues appealed to her wide range of interests.

“I love the arts and the museums here in New York,” said Papastathi. “I’m a person of contradictions. I love skiing but I also love the beach. I love music and performances a lot. You can find me at the opera at the Met, and you can find me at indie rock concerts.”

While in Greece, Papastathi started on a corporate career path but changed course.

“I wanted my work to have a different kind of meaning, so I found a job at the Red Cross coordinating programs for asylum seekers, refugees, minors, and unhoused people,” said Papastathi. Once in America, she decided to further explore nonprofit work and earned her master’s degree at The New School. From there Papastathi began her fundraising career, taking a position at The Hellenic Initiative, a global nonprofit that is based in New York whose mission is to unite the Greek diaspora through philanthropy by investing in the future of Greece.

She loved the work, which involved connecting with many people and listening to their stories. She found great satisfaction in raising money to support people and the programs that would help them.

“Research has proven that when you’re generous to others you increase feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin,” said Papastathi. After five years at the Hellenic Initiative, her interest turned to supporting higher education. 

“I really wanted to do work in higher education because research provides so much to human progress. Also, I realized that for both my husband and me, receiving scholarship support changed our lives tremendously,” she said.

Today, as Cambridge in America’s fundraiser covering the New York Tri-State area and Pennsylvania, Papastathi takes delight in everything about her job, be it working with University professors and researchers, Cambridge alumni, or her CAm Colleagues.

“The most fascinating thing about this job is learning -- you are learning all the time.” 

During her nearly three years at CAm, Papastathi has worked to help alumni bridge the gap of time and distance from their academic home, encouraging different ways to connect and reconnect with Collegiate Cambridge. Her own experience of leaving her homeland and making a new life in America informs her deep empathy, warmth, and appreciation for the narratives they share.

“The most important thing is active listening,” said Papastathi. “When alumni reflect on their time at Cambridge, they share vivid memories and meaningful stories – but just as powerful is the sense of gratitude those experiences inspire. That gratitude often becomes a genuine commitment to giving back and supporting the next generation.”