My Background
My name is Goharik Grigoryan. I’m from Gyumri, Armenia. I completed my high school education at the Gyumri’s Academic Lyceum, where I studied in a class with an economics profile. While choosing a specialization for the class, I spent a lot of time as I had many different interests in both natural and social sciences, so I decided to choose the profile that has both of them.
Education
I was sure about choosing the university, which is the French University in Armenia (UFAR). The language of education is French, and that was great for me as I learned French during school studies, even though it isn’t required for applying to university. By graduating from that university, you receive two diplomas, the first one from the Republic of Armenia and the second one from the university in France with which the UFAR is currently collaborating. With the second diploma, you can work in France or maybe other European countries. I got my bachelor’s second diploma from the Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3. In many countries, French universities collaborate with higher institutions. Also, I would like to mention that during your last year of studies, you have an opportunity to undergo an internship in French companies.
The application process was quite ordinary. I had to pass leaving examinations and French university exams (Armenian, Math, Foreign Language). GPA wasn’t playing an important role in my application, but in high school, it was 19/20.
I chose to major in marketing as it was a popular specialization, especially in the UFAR, and it aligned with my class’s profile in high school. I have to say that I had the wrong choice of my profession, and participation in various international programs brought me to the educational field.
Volunteering Experience
I started volunteering when I was 15 years old. I found out about it when some organizations’ representatives came to my high school and had a meeting about what volunteering is. I would like to note that only a few people had questions about it after the presentation. My first experience was helping a kindergarten teacher and I actually enjoyed this. Then, I volunteered mostly in places where I could use my French knowledge. I also participated in the Restart Educational Foundation’s initiatives. Volunteering is not just about doing it in your teenage years; it is a lifestyle, and it is an opportunity to help the people who need it. While volunteering I also found out my passion for education.
Young European Ambassador
The Young European Ambassadors program connects young leaders to promote EU values and collaboration through interesting projects and events. You can apply here if you are active in your community and want to do even more, in a bigger scale. You get an opportunity to represent your country's youth and raise the voice of youngsters of your homeland. I participated and made a speech twice during the year of the program - the first one at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France, and the second one at the European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium. You get a chance to both represent your country and to learn more about other European countries, to communicate and to share.
Kectil Program
The Kectil Program initiative of the Malmar Knowles Family Foundation is a one-year educational program about different topics in leadership. The program teaches you how to be an authentic, motivational leader. Within the framework of the Kectil, I participated in a youth leadership conference in the United States. I had a great chance to be chosen as one of 10 board members of this program from more than 2000 young people. Also I created Kectil Armenia, the Armenian branch of the program. This initiative held an International Leadership School for Armenian youngsters, during which they communicated with Kectil colleagues who presented different aspects of leadership and shared their experience. An Armenian language course was held and it is a great success for sharing our culture with the world.
Professional Orientation Center
As I have already mentioned, I had some issues and questions while choosing my career. As an adult, I wanted to create an opportunity for youngsters that will help them to choose their profession and to understand clearly what they want to do in their future. So, I established the Professional Orientation Center (POC) Armenia, which has social media pages where educational webinars, reels, and posts about different careers are uploaded. Also the center gives a chance for young people who don’t have a big experience yet to become a volunteer, to learn and to share their knowledge with their peers.
International Conferences
Recently I participated in two international forums, which were related to education. The first one was the "Education for Sustainable Development" international board, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was conducted between BRICS and Southeast countries. The main topics were problems related to education and AI's usage in universities, grading systems, and access to studies. The next one, which was an exciting experience for me, was the 8th Euro-Arab Youth Forum, which took place in Egypt and during which I had a speech about the connection between education and AI as well as the labor market and how people from different countries react to the problems related to it. I took part in it as a Kectil Program Board Member.
Tips for Applying to Programs
CV, Motivation Letter: All of the international programs will require these documents, especially ones that give an opportunity to travel and to receive a fund that covers travel expenses. So it is very important to have a good, well-written CV and motivation letter and to prove that you will be not just an active listener during the process but you have the courage to share your own experience.
Recommendation Letter: It is essential to have recommendation letters not just from the first people you see but from the people who know you well and who work in the field that is related to the program you are applying to. For instance, it wouldn't be right to take a letter from a person who you are doing business with and submit it to the educational program. Instead you can take it from your professor/teacher.
Choosing the Programs: While being young, we are applying to plenty of the programs just to be able to be involved. As we get experience, we understand that it is better to apply to the programs that align with your professional interests. Have a strong motivation about the topic of the program you are applying to.
Plans for Future
I can confidently say that, in my opinion, formal education is important for setting up your career path. Non-formal education is a great chance to learn, to communicate, and to grow, but formal education can become a good foundation for achieving success in your profession. As I don’t have a degree in educational management, I plan to pursue one in the future.
