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  • A Life Of Opportunity

    A LIFE OF OPPORTUNITY

    Idaho Argonaut: University of Idaho
    December 2, 2013 Monday

    by: Andrew Jenson

    >From one side of the world to Moscow, Ruben Tsarukyan has seen and
    done much in his 18 years of life.

    Currently a junior at the University of Idaho, Tsarukyan was born
    in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1995. Only two years later, his family would
    migrate to the United States and set up residence in Los Angeles.

    "It was just after the collapse of the Soviet Union and there was a
    war that went on in Armenia. Just, the conditions weren't so good,"
    Tsarukyan said. "The United States being the land of opportunity,
    my parents filed for a green card and we got it."

    The spring semester of 2013 was Tsarukyan's first semester at UI.

    Since then, he has become more involved and active in the Moscow
    community - he currently sits on the Moscow Human Rights Commission
    and recently attended the National League of Cities 2013 Congress
    of Cities and Exposition with Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney and city
    councilmember Tom Lamar.

    "This beginning of the semester, I came back to (the) University of
    Idaho after being home for three months for summer break, and I was
    just so homesick," Tsarukyan said. "I just wanted to go back home
    and, I was like, you know what? In order not to be homesick, to make
    time go by fast, I have to get involved with something, volunteer,
    do something."

    This moved Tsarukyan to contact Chaney and seek ways to become more
    involved in the community. Chaney applauded Tsarukyan's initiative
    and determination.

    "He is a person of - only 18 years of age - great initiative, he's
    terrifically bright and motivated," Chaney said. "He knows where he
    wants to go in this world and he's taking initiative to pursue those
    interests. So I applaud him for that."

    Tsarukyan lived in California for most of his life. At just 14 years
    old, Tsarukyan decided he wanted to take his first college course.

    "And after I took that first college course, I really liked college,"
    Tsarukyan said. "I didn't want to go back to high school because,
    you know, it's just a bunch of immature kids. After going from a
    college course to back to high school, I thought, 'Why don't I just
    start this early?'"

    Tsarukyan left public high school in 10th grade and earned his high
    school diploma via homeschooling. He attended Glendale Community
    College for a few years before deciding to move on.

    "I was 17 years old - I started looking at universities I could
    attend," Tsarukyan said. "I wanted to go away from home, live alone,
    you know, just to experience life, what it's like to be alone and have
    responsibilities, and just that transition from being a teenager to
    being a man."

    In his search, Tsarukyan sought a university that could provide a
    program to match his love for international politics. He found it in
    UI's Martin Institute of International Studies.

    "So, I looked into that and I love the program," Tsarukyan said.

    Chaney said Tsarukyan would be a great asset to international
    delegations, like the one she led to Japan in 2010. Tsarukyan said
    he is grateful for what he has in the U.S., especially after a visit
    to Armenia in 2008.

    "Going from, you know, Los Angeles to visiting some of these villages
    where their bathroom is in their backyard, it made me appreciate life
    so much more. It made me appreciate life and what I had," Tsarukyan
    said. "And, the opportunity my parents are providing me for a higher
    education, a better education, better opportunity in life to get
    somewhere. I don't know if I would if I was in Armenia."

    Tsarukyan said he will return to Armenia the summer of 2014 for an
    internship with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Tsarukyan said, from his own experience, it is important for UI
    students to find and take advantage of their opportunities.

    "I think it's really important to tell the students here ... know your
    opportunities and take advantage of it," Tsarukyan said. "Know the
    resources and take advantage of it. I'm just, I'm really connected
    now with the community."

    Andrew Jenson


    From: Baghdasarian
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