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For Anna Maria Alonso, having a voice means embracing the responsibility to use it. Through the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Girl Delegates to the United Nations program, Anna Maria was given the opportunity to advocate for issues impacting women and girls through the lens of her culture and faith.
The program, founded by Niki Devaris-Morgulis and operating through the Archdiocese’s Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations, allows Greek Orthodox high-school girls to utilize their unique talents and uplift them to go forth and become the next generation of change-makers and peace-builders.
Whether asking questions in a conference room at the U.N. or listening to women share stories of violence, displacement, and persecution, Anna Maria, through the Girl Delegates program, has come to understand advocacy as more than simply speaking, but an opportunity to speak for those who cannot. As a young Greek Orthodox woman with aspirations of becoming an international human rights lawyer, that responsibility has become central to the future she is building.
Anna Maria is from Tampa, Florida and attends Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater, Florida; her family has also been active in the Laconia Society of West Florida for 35 years. She is currently a sophomore at the University of Central Florida, where she majors in International and Global Studies with minors in Legal Studies and Global Peace and Security Studies.
Anna Maria’s academic work include international human rights advocacy, and she is particularly interested in advocating for human rights in conflict zones, including those in the Middle East, North Africa, and South America. Anna Maria is also currently conducting research on artificial intelligence (AI) policies and how AI is discussed in more positive or negative terms depending on cultural context.
A certified International Humanitarian Law advocate through the Red Cross, Anna Maria finds that her participation in the Girl Delegate program enhanced her first-hand knowledge of global issues, allowing her to teach youth in her community about humanitarian struggles. She is trilingual, speaking English, Greek, and Spanish.
Anna Maria joined the Girl Delegates program in the spring of 2025, and has attended the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 69, CSW 70, and the FIFA-hosted One World, One Game, One Goal: Football as a Catalyst for Youth Mental Health and Well-Being event, in addition to many other events and virtual trainings.
She credits her culture and faith with driving her passions in life, which likewise led her to join the Girl Delegates program. Anna Maria’s mother first mentioned the program at a family dinner, explaining it was created by a passionate woman promoting Greek Orthodox values and was the perfect avenue for Anna Maria to immerse herself in human rights advocacy. Anna Maria applied swiftly.
“This program offers opportunities for girls to advocate and speak on areas that many girls across the globe do not have the privilege of speaking about, which truly inspired me,” Anna Maria says. “This program allows me to be a voice for those who have had their voices taken. And for that, I am incredibly grateful to Niki and the GOA.”
Anna Maria is grateful for the opportunity to learn about global issues which may not present in mainstream coverage or discussed in everyday life. She often reflects on her experience speaking with diplomats, policy makers, and others who participate in advocacy efforts.
“At the U.N., we are one of the only groups representing Greek Orthodoxy. At that global stage, it is incredibly important that we utilize the morals, principles, ethics, and the love that our religion teaches us to bestow upon others,” Anna Maria says. “In a space like the U.N., we meet so many different cultures and people groups, witness different traditions, and hear intense stories and messages, and through it all, our religion teaches us to relay nothing but respect and kindness to those who we are different from. I can’t express how important it is that we utilize the principles we learn through Orthodoxy and put them into practice at the U.N.”
Anna Maria also gained lifelong friends and connections through the Girl Delegates program.
“The program brings together likeminded girls from all over America, and I can proudly say I talk to my fellow Girl Delegates at least once a day,” Anna Maria say. She enjoys connecting with her Girl Delegates socially, but sees herself working alongside them professionally in the future.
“The UN presents you with the opportunity to connect with so many incredible professionals,” she says. “It is great that with a couple conversations, we can get the contacts of people who may let us enter elite professional spaces in the future, and it is all thanks to this wonderful program.”
During CSW70, the Girl Delegates attended the side-event “Women’s Equal Right to Participate in the Judiciary and Women’s Access to Justice: More Women, More Access” at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, an international law firm in midtown Manhattan. Anna Maria credits this attendance with influencing her desire to attend law school and practice international law.
Since then, Anna Maria has met other Greek women lawyers through the program, such as program director, Niki Devaris-Morgulis, and is inspired by women like her who create a pathway for the success of future generations of Greek women.
“I would encourage other girls to join because this program helps set up your future and unlock opportunities and experiences that will help you discover exactly what you’re passionate about,” Anna Maria says. “It is also an incredible way of expanding your public speaking abilities, networking abilities, living out our faith on a global scale, and having impactful discussions for all the other young girls who couldn’t be there.”
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