AIWA Scholarship Recipients Receive the Gift of Education and Give Back to the Community

Students at the American University of Armenia understand the importance of giving
back to the community. As scholarship recipients of the Armenian International
Women’s Association (AIWA), Sona Avagyan, Anna Narimanyan and Anush Petrosyan
spent their summers interning for Teach for Armenia, Synopsys Armenia
Educational Department and the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, using
their time productively while also exemplifying the significance of volunteerism.

 

At TUMO, a non-profit digital media learning center in Yerevan, Armenia, Anush Petrosyan, the recipient of the AIWA: Alice Kanlian Mirak Scholarship served as a Teacher’s Assistant for Creative Writing and New Media courses.

During her internship, she assisted students with writing and editing while encouraging them to pen creative short stories. Not only did Anush help students improve their writing skills, she also learned from her instructors, appreciating the “give and take” and the chance for her internship to complement her studies at AUA.

“AUA makes all of us think outside the box and widens our intellect,” said Anush, a junior who is majoring in English and Communications. “I now see it is very possible for me to become a businesswoman or a computer scientist because AUA gave me a choice and a chance to speak up.”

 

Sona Avagyan, another AIWA: Alice Kanalian Mirak Scholarship recipient, committed three months at Teach for Armenia, a non-profit which aims to expand educational opportunities throughout the country, where she worked with the Public Affairs team to help create a virtual learning pilot.

“Our team was very supportive and always encouraged me to act and not be afraid of experiments and new approaches,” said Sona, a junior who is studying business.

Her main responsibilities included analyzing development strategies to see how they succeed in the market as well as implementing the key components of branding.

“I appreciated the opportunity to communicate with intelligent professionals at Teach for Armenia,” said Sona. “I learned a lot during the summer and now I feel I can use that knowledge during my academic studies as well. The AIWA scholarship positively affected my life and gave me the opportunity to study at AUA.”

 

A junior at AUA majoring in computer science, Anna Narimanyan,  a recipient of the AIWA San Francisco Scholarship, interned throughout the summer at Synopsys Armenia Educational Department (SAED), which provides technology, tools and resources for teaching and academic research.

“Not only did I learn new concepts in the technology field, but it also strengthened the knowledge I gained through my classes at AUA,” said Anna, who appreciated the healthy discussions and debates with her colleagues. She also learned practical knowledge through her internship, including how to successfully interview for jobs.

The students are all grateful for AIWA’s support during their academic endeavors and for giving them the chance to pursue their education and professional paths.