Campaign Supporters

  Renita Esayian, an accomplished financial professional, has joined the American University of Armenia (AUA) ChangeMakers, an impressive group of visionaries dedicated to inspiring and rallying future generations of Armenians to take charge of changing the country’s direction toward global success and sustained advancement. Renita grew up near Philadelphia, where her Armenian-immigrant grandparents from both […]

  Dr. Sharon Anoush Chekijian is an esteemed medical doctor, Director, and Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Medicine who recently joined the exclusive group of ChangeMakers of the American University of Armenia (AUA). With a strong belief in the power of education to take Armenia in the direction that would ensure a brighter […]

  Benefactors Jack and Zarig Youredjian have been generous supporters of the American University of Armenia (AUA), and in recent years, became AUA Pillars at a time when more students were in dire need of support amidst the global pandemic. Now, their children, Renee and Haig, are continuing the Youredjian tradition of philanthropy becoming the […]

  As both donors and employers, Sevag and Jackie Ajemian’s commitment to Armenia and the American University of Armenia is intertwined with their daily lives. They recognize the high quality of education that AUA provides, thus hiring AUA students to work in their Globanet office in Yerevan. As annual scholarship program supporters, they directly impact […]

  Janine Barsam answered our call to action to support AUA’s Honoring Those Who Served: Investing in our Veterans Education campaign while she followed the current war in Artsakh. She firmly believed that supporting the future of the soldiers fighting today will secure a better life for them when these heroes return home. The Janine […]

When she learned about the ChangeMakers campaign and what it stood for, Liza Karamardian Carter felt a strong sense of responsibility to step up to the call. This responsibility stemmed from the fact that her father, Dr. Stepan Karamardian, was one of the co-founders of the American University of Armenia. Thus, to our call, Liza […]

Tony Safoian is the CEO of SADA and also the latest Changemaker to join AUA’s exclusive group of visionary philanthropists who have come together to embrace change and build a stronger and more sustainable Armenia.  Born in Armenia, Tony and his family migrated to the United States in 1987 when he was nine years old. […]

Artavazd Mehrabyan (MSCIS ‘03) is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Picsart, one of the world’s leading photo and video editing applications. Artavazd graduated from the American University of Armenian (AUA) in 2003 obtaining his Master of Science degree from the University’s Computer and Information Science program. After graduating and prior to founding Picsart, […]

Mikayel Vardanyan is one of AUA’s successful alumni, having graduated from the AUA Master of Science in Computer and Information Science (MSCIS) program in 2004. In his professional career, he co-founded Monitis and Sourcio, two successful platforms that were later acquired. With over a decade of experience, he is currently an angel investor and startup […]

It was a historic time, but one of the most difficult and darkest for the Republic of Armenia. On September 21, 1991, the same day the Armenian Parliament declared independence, the American University of Armenia (AUA) opened its doors, welcoming its initial cohort of students. This group of fresh-minded, eager youth would soon be the […]