Congratulations to alumna Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis ’85 on
her election to Lieutenant Governor of California! If you missed
the article on Eleni in the Spring 2018 issue, read it here:
We know Troubadours are women who change the world; we had a
chance to catch up with Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis ’85 to hear
where her post-St. Francis journey has taken her and what lessons
from her alma mater she has taken on the journey.
Always a woman who wanted to experience the world, Eleni spent
her sophomore year at a boarding school in Lugano, Switzerland
before embarking on her Troubadour education. While transferring
schools mid-way through high school can seem intimidating, Eleni
found her St. Francis home to be warm and welcoming and
affectionately remembers the many friends she made while a
student here. Troubies who remember her debate performance as
Walter Mondale*, alongside Claire Chatfield as
Geraldine Ferraro, will not be surprised that Eleni is currently
campaigning to be the next Lieutenant Governor of California.
“A part of running for office is reviewing your old files. I
pleasantly found a report I had written in high school about the
1984 election. There was no question the work we were doing at
St. Francis was very relevant,” Eleni reminisces. Her social
studies teacher, Trisha (Garretson) Uhrhammer, had connections at
the Capitol through her graduate work in history and government.
She was also involved with the League of Women Voters and
encouraged her students to be informed and active in government.
She made a big impact on Eleni.
