Ani Mkhitaryan is a senior at Glendale High School. She comes from Argentina, but Ani is of Armenian descent. She moved to the United States three years ago and has been part of the GHS community since that time. Ani is also the founder and president of the You Belong Club at our school.
Ani saw that many of our immigrant families were struggling on our campus. “I got the idea of creating this club as I wanted to make a difference [at] GHS,” she said. “I was told by the counselors and staff that I was helping a lot with the translation for students and parents. So while trying to find a club idea, I realized, with the help of [Counselor Mayra] Gonzalez, that it would be a helpful thing to create a club that provides translation services.”
Ani decided to call her new organization the You Belong Club, to show that all students, especially immigrants, belong at Glendale High School. The club is about helping to integrate new students from other countries and also to eliminate the language barrier that those students may experience on our campus.
This club is not only about translation, but it also guides students through their academic achievements. Club members are regularly contacting students to help them with the transition from their home country to the United States.
The main requirement to join the club is to know at least one additional language besides English. The goal is to make this club an organization that is a fixture on our campus, and eventually, members will be required to go through a training and interview process in order to join. There is also a certification available to members after they graduate from high school.
Ani hopes that the You Belong Club will remain at GHS for many years to come because our school has always had immigrant students and they constantly need translation. Ani’s original plan was to create a club where students from different cultures can socialize, but with help of Counselor Gonzalez, she realized that translation was a more immediate need on our campus.
The plan for next year is to create a system so that students who apply for this program can be enrolled in this organization as a class, where they will receive elective credit and a certificate. In a few years, Ani hopes to come back to GHS and see that there are students in the counseling office who are helping parents and students feel less anxious and more welcome at our school.
You Belong Club meetings are held once a month on Mondays, and Ani communicates with her members through the Remind app. To sign up, please text @ubelo at 81010.
GHS students should definitely join this club if they know an additional language. It might not seem very beneficial for them at first, but their language skills can help a lot of others who are in need.
Ani is looking for a class president for the upcoming school year, so if you are interested, please email Counselor Gonzalez at [email protected] or come to one of their club meetings!
