FLEX Alumni Success Stories
City Representatives:
Gyumri: Hasmik Tonapetyan ’09
Vanadzor: Ani Ghukasyan ’00
Kapan: Elza Galstyan ’10
Class of 1994
Artyom Zakaryan ’94 works for Germany’s Savings Banks Foundation as a banking consultant.
Class of 1995
Class of 1996
Tigran Karapetyan ’96 works as Key Election Law Expert for the IFES Professional Elections Assistance and Reform Project in Tajikistan May through July 2008.
Class of 1997
Class of 1998
Class of 1999
Class of 2000
Class of 2001
Over the summer of 2008, Nektar Harutyunyan ’01 served as a research assistant for Indiana University graduate student, Jillissa Overholt, who is investigating youth recreation in Armenia. As an assistant, Nektar provided translation and logistical support during focus groups and the administration of questionnaires.
Some comments regarding the successful collaboration from Nektar:
“This was a great experience for me both because I exchanged some ideas about different fields and aspects of education and life in Armenia and US with Jill and also I had chance to acquaint myself with dreams and problems that Armenian youth face in school, outdoor and elsewhere. Hopefully this short-term program will grow into long-term friendship.”
And from Jillissa:
“Nektar was timely and thorough with her translation of the informed consent statement, and very willing to do anything to help. We met in Yerevan upon my arrival and arranged for her to meet me in Ashotsk in a few days. I went to ashotsk ahead of time to meet my friends and start to set up the research. Nektar joined me for two days, during which we had two focus groups each day. Nektar was instrumental in helping to translate the questions and the responses during the focus groups, in taking detailed notes of what was said, and also in helping to explain the questionnaires. After the groups were complete she translated her notes into English.
While we both worked very hard, we also got to have a little fun–we even went on a bike ride to a local mineral spring! I am very appreciate of the assistance Nektar provided and hope that future collaborations will occur with FLEX alumni.”
Class of 2002
Magda Markosyan ’02 works as a Project and International Relations Officer at “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund since February 2008. She has been selected to take part in Global Village 2008 for Future Leaders of Business and Industry which will take place in Bethlehem, PA, USA.
Karine Botoyan ’02 works as the External Relations Specialist at “Inecobank” CJSC, since April 16, 2008.
Naira Astoyan ’02 has graduated in ’07 from the Armenian State University of Economics. Now she works as an accountant in the “Zota” LLC, Artik, Armenia.
Class of 2003
Class of 2004
Zaruhi Harutyunyan ’04 was elected as a Vice President of Incoming Exchange for the term of 2008-2009 in AIESEC International Youth Organization in Armenia.
Sonya Armaghanyan ’04 received a job position of the Community Liaison Office Administrative Clerk at the US Embassy in Armenia.
Class of 2005
Class of 2006
Sona Nahapetyan ’06 participated in social researches organized by the Ministry of Education and Science in Armenia. The topic included high school education and mid-range educational systems.
Class of 2007
Mane Saroyan ’07 volunteers at Future is Open(FIO) NGO as an English teacher.
Anush Safaryan ’07 attended Utah State University, Faculty of Accounting.
Suzanna Shamakhyan ’07, who spent her exchange year in Colorado, is highlighted in the newest Bradley Herald. Check out this edition of the FLEX alumni publication at:
http://www.americancouncils.org/documents/1017ac080608091646_8640.pdf
Class of 2008
Karapet Muradyan ’08 attended Utah State University, Faculty of Foreign Affairs.
Larisa Aslanyan ’08 took part in anti-corruption campaign which was organized by the OSCE office in Yerevan, part of the campaign she visited Albania and Serbia on a study trip. www.OSCE.am.
Ani Angalatyan ’08 attended Utah State University, faculty of American history.
On August 20, 2008, the Kapan American Corner held the first in a series of “Armenians at the American Corner” alumni lectures in Kapan. The Corner hosted Milena Adamyan ’08 who delivered a lecture entitled “Life in the USA.” Milena discussed daily life at her American school, the American lifestyle in general, and about American sightseeing. She also spoke about the Flex 2009 competition, which will take place soon. She delivered a portion of her lecture in English for Peace Corp volunteers who have recently come to Armenia.
Selected as one of just 60 international youth participants, Karapet Muradyan ’08 traveled to Davos, Switzerland to take part in the Global Changemakers Conference implemented by British Council. Global Changemakers is a project that brings together young activists and global and regional leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos. Karapet was selected for this competitive program based on his forward-looking, original ways of thinking, confidence, assertiveness and articulateness, in addition to his connections within his own community in Armenia.
Class of 2009 –Class Representative Diana Melkumyan
Lilit Ghazaryan ’09 attended Glendale Community College, CA Los-Angeles, Faculty of Mass Communication.
Gayane Ghazaryan ’09 attended Utah State University, Faculty of Medical Science.
Norik Tunyan ’09 (Khndzoresk, Armenia/Milburn, OK) and Ester Voskanyan ’09 (Pokr Vedi, Armenia/Meeker, OK) were selected from among a large group of applicants to participate in the Civic Education Workshop that will take place in Washington, DC on March 15-21, 2009. The Civic Education Program is a special one-week workshop in Washington, DC for approximately 100 FLEX students currently living in the United States. The program is organized by The Close-up Foundation, and provides a unique opportunity for FLEX participants to gain a better understanding of some of the democratic concepts and values that are such an integral part of FLEX. Participants will also have a chance to learn firsthand about the US federal system of government, US political system and other important issues through discussions, briefings, and meetings on Capitol Hill.
Class of 2010–Class Representative Ani Makaryan
Class of 2011–Class Representative Nshan Potikyan
Second FLEX-Ability Workshop a Success!
- Alumni from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia with Ambassador Bass at the FLEX-Ability II Workshop in Tbilisi, Georgia March 24-27, 2011
Alumni from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia with Ambassador Bass at the FLEX-Ability II Workshop in Tbilisi, Georgia March 24-27, 2011
From March 24 through March 27, more than 55 alumni of the U.S. Government sponsored Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia gathered for the second South Caucasus FLEX-Ability Workshop in Tbilisi, Georgia. The university-age alumni participants were able to share ideas for working with youth in the South Caucasus and collaborate in teams led by seven FLEX alumni trainers and three Peace Corps Volunteers to develop skills for active citizenship and design projects that will inspire youth across the region to be implemented in all three countries in the summer of 2011. The FLEX-Ability Workshop II, administered by the American Councils offices in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, was sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Through sessions designed and delivered by senior FLEX alumni, FLEX-Ability participants were able to build the professional skills, experience, and contacts needed to promote volunteerism and other civil society concepts among their peers. The sessions included “Effective Team Building as a Key to Success” (Lusine Arakelyan ’04, Armenia, and Konstantin Ter-Nakalyan ’04, Armenia); “Faces of the Leaders” (Ruslan Asad ’04, Azerbiajan); “Time Management” (Maral Gurbanzadeh ’07, Azerbaijan); and “Youth Activism and Civic Engagement” (Eka Rostomashvili ’06, Georgia, Mikheil Benidze ’06, Georgia, and Sophio Tabatadze ’04, Georgia). Keynote and wrap-up sessions entitled “Creative Problem Solving and Lateral Thinking” and “Change Management” were delivered by guest speaker Artak Aloyan.
The FLEX-Ability Workshop also included a Project Design and Management training delivered by Peace Corps volunteers Bryan Hall (Armenia), Katie McSheffrey (Azerbaijan), and Jefferson Sommers (Georgia). Proposed collaborative projects for summer of 2011 include: youth leadership and civic engagement trainings, workplace rights seminars for young employees, and the promotion of environmental volunteerism. Each multi-national team left the conference with clear goals and objectives, a complete action plan, budget and fundraising proposal, and a communication plan to ensure the completion of the project.
U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John R. Bass and Public Affairs Officers Karen Robblee (Armenia), Terry Davidson (Azerbaijan), and Cynthia Whittlesey (Georgia) visited the workshop during alumni presentations and were able to witness first-hand how, through sharing the best practices for youth-centered projects, each alumni community has been inspired to implement more of the powerful, productive projects that lead to the positive change FLEX alumni want to bring to the South Caucasus.
The FLEX-Ability workshop was inspired by the strong desire of FLEX alumni to cooperate with their neighboring peers and the success of last year’s FLEX-Ability Workshop. Leyla Aslanova ’07, FLEX Alumni Coordinator in Azerbaijan, commented that what she has most appreciated at FLEX-Ability is the “intercultural dialogue between South Caucasus countries.” Leyla said, “I can say, as an alumni coordinator, FLEX-Ability gives me a lot more connection with alumni and helps to be united more around projects like social projects and activities.” Participant Nino Nanitashvili ’10, Georgia, commented, “I can say that I am fully charged with positive emotions and enthusiasm to be more dedicated and motivated.” Armenian Participant Arus Sahakyan, ’10, feels the same way: “This workshop made us remember that we’re still FLEXers who must make change and gave us the opportunity to implement the projects we want.”
United by their experience in America, FLEX-Ability alumni created short presentations about the attractions and culture of the regions of the United States where they lived during their FLEX year to share with future FLEX students. Through the social connections and face-to-face contact established while working in these groups, alumni laid the foundations for lasting international friendships. A Georgian participant summarized, “Armenians and Azeris integrated with each other and Georgians magnificently, you can see the living proof of that on Facebook, where everyone is sharing photos and telling each other how awesome sessions were, and how they already miss us.”