My name is Ernest Pecounis. I was born on July 26, 1967, in New York City. My father's name is George and my mother's Froso. I grew up in the beautiful city of Kalamata and the state of Messinia, in southwest Greece, a place blessed with natural beauty and lots of history. Messinia produces top quality olives and olive oil known around the world, but there is a wide variety of products that deserve better publicity.

Having spent all my early years in Kalamata it is natural that i studied there, as well. I attended the 7th Elementary School and Paralia's High School/Lyceum, two institutions that always maintained excellent reputation and high standards. Before my 18th birthday, on July 13, 1985, I returned to the States and stayed here as planned. From July '85 to March '92 I lived in Astoria (Queens) New York, until I moved to my new home, Raleigh, North Carolina. In New York I attended three different colleges: Queens College, La Guardia Community College, and Hunter College... all members of the C.U.N.Y. (City University of New York) network.

I concentrated on Computer Science and attended several courses in Physics, as a way of preparing myself for an advanced degree in Astonomy. Unfortunately, the financial problems that the entire city went through in the late 80's and afterwards affected me as well, forcing me to reconsider and interrupt my studies in Physics. On May of 1991 I graduated with a B.A. in Computer Science and a Minor in Mathematics.