Diana Arakelian, a senior at Glendale High School, has founded the Armenian Youth Education Aid Club this year for a noble cause! The club is directly connected to AYEA, a nonprofit organization of which Diana is the co-founder and vice president. It aims to improve the schools and to provide educational supplies for villages in Armenia. 

After the 44-day Artsakh War, Diana believed that one of the best ways she could give back to her country was by focusing on education, and by “supporting the children of Armenia” who lack educational opportunities and quality schools. This is the main goal of AYEA, and she founded the club to directly coordinate with her nonprofit organization, to fundraise for it, and to encourage more people to help improve Armenian education. 

Diana explained how pressing the issue of poor education is in Armenia. Outside of the capital city of Yerevan, less-developed regions of the country lack infrastructure, are economically devastated, and altogether have a low quality of life. In these regions, education is deemed less important, due to concerns over stability, and schools are in terrible condition, sometimes lacking bathrooms and basic supplies. 

Diana has many plans for how to improve schools in these regions, whether it be through packing and sending school supplies, or by collecting money to renovate schools. Ultimately, she hopes to provide these schools with anything they may need. She recognizes that improving the education for Armenian students is “very broad and complex,” and that many factors go into it, which should all be considered. 

Diana is full of ideas for the AYEA Club at GHS. She has ideas for fundraisers, like the recent Halloween gram sales that the club just completed. She hopes to plan many other fundraisers and activities that can help AYEA in the future.

Diana is incredibly passionate about AYEA, and she plans to still be involved with the organization after graduation. She hopes that, after she leaves GHS, someone will take up the mantle as AYEA Club president and that the club will thrive on our campus. 

Diana’s drive to help others is inspiring, especially considering that the AYEA organization and club are run by young people between the ages of 13 and 21. It truly proves that, like Diana, we can all make a difference in the world and help change it for the better, even if it’s only little by little. 

If you’re interested in AYEA’s mission, or in donating to a worthy cause, their GoFundMe page can be found here, and please follow them on Instagram: @armenianyoutheducationaid! And if you would like to join the AYEA Club, please contact Ms. Zakarian at [email protected]!