Paula was born in 1947 on Andros, an island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago. At the time, Paula's village was a farm town with no electricity and only one telephone. 

When Paula immigrated to the U.S., Greece was undergoing rapid social and economic development, and they passed the standard of living compared to their neighbors. However, the Greek government could not keep up with the evolving country, so local citizens planned a coup in which Britain admitted that Greece was seeking independence in 1960. Paula remembers that Greece formed a parliament where they enlisted a prime minister. 

As a young girl, Paula's family lived in a house with cement floors and no electricity. When Paula's mother was sick, Greek health care was not supportive as it lacked treatment resources for her mother's condition. Eventually, the poor economy and health care drove many individuals out of the country. 

In 1955, Paula and her two older siblings boarded The Olympia ship, arriving in New York under green cards. Shortly after, they were picked up on the pier and driven to Massachusetts to join their aunt in Chelsea, MA. Paula lived in Chelsea, MA, for three years before relocating to Brookline, MA, for better educational opportunities. 

At the time, the U.S. was undergoing a variety of social movements in which African Americans were fighting for their rights. Specifically, 1955 was the year in which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. When Paula immigrated to the U.S., she arrived at a pivotal point where people fought to end segregation.  

Paula finally settled in Needham, MA, for forty-seven years with her late husband, Jimmy, and their two children, Harry and Tina.

When Paula immigrated in 1955 at eight years old, she received her green card, a permanent resident card that allowed her to live legally in the U.S. However, before receiving her green card, Paula had to undergo a lengthy adoption process, during which her aunt would become the primary guardian of Paula and her siblings. To do so, Paula's aunt, 63, contacted Henry Lodge, the 1850 Massachusetts Senator, to help bring over Paula and her siblings. 

Before gaining citizenship, Paula and her siblings had to prove they had no criminal record with a social worker, who checked in sporadically. From then on, Paula received her American citizenship when she was a senior in High School after a series of American history tests. In Paula's experience, she applied, got tested, and was sworn in in 1971.