VERJINE KYABABCHIAN -
FINDING HER PLACE!

Verjine Kyababchian

Verjine Kyababchian, 19, felt like an outsider for much of her life.

Kyababchian was born and raised as a first-generation Armenian-American in Riverside, Calif. Kyababchian said while she had some family in her hometown, she felt largely disconnected from her heritage.

In her late teens, her family decided to make a change. They moved to Glendale, Calif., which boasts a large Armenian population. Suddenly, Kyababchian was among other people like her, that had the same cultural perceptions as she did, and the same shared values without ever having to speak a word about the underpinnings of what it means to be part of the Armenian diaspora.

“I didn’t know what it meant when people said it’s different to be around the Armenian community,” Kyababchian said, of her time growing up in Riverside. “Now it feels like I’m always around family.”

Shortly after moving to Glendale, she began attending Glendale Community College (GCC), and, even though she didn’t know anyone -- for the first time ever, Kyababchian said she felt at home.

“When you go to GCC, you leave it fulfilled,” Kyababchian said. “I’ve never felt unwelcomed.”

The political science major dove in head first. She got involved with the Associated Students of Glendale Community College (ASGCC) and became a Senator of Administration. In that role, she worked alongside fellow senators to revise the student government constitution and bylaws to make a better and more fair system of government for her fellow students at GCC.

“Some students have that mindset of ‘I’m going to my classes and then I’m going home’,” she said. “I’m not like that.”

She has not stopped. She has continued her advocacy with ASGCC, currently serving as a Senator of Relations, helping to market and represent the school in social media and other communications about student government.

She is also currently serving as President of the Scholars Program, the group representing all Honors students at the college. In order to participate, students must have at least a 3.0 grade point average; take at least one honors course per semester: maintain exemplary character in and out of school; and participate actively in the Scholars Program. COVID-19, however, has touched her life and caused some hiccups in her busy life. When quarantine initially began in March, she said she struggled with her schoolwork and the lack of face-to-face engagement.

As regulations relaxed some, she was able to return to her extracurriculars on campus and regained a sense of community, even in an online format. Online learning has forced her to learn to manage her time much more efficiently and time management skills. Her extracurricular activities, even during the era of COVID-19, add up to at least 20 hours per week on top of her regular school schedule and homework.

Kyababchian said she hopes all of her hard work will get the attention of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she is planning to apply to continue her undergraduate studies and earn her bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

She said she hopes her story will encourage other students who may feel unwelcome in other spaces to consider GCC for their educational pursuits.

“I’ve never met anyone that’s left GCC and said they didn’t like it,” Kyababchian said. “People hang out here, even on the weekends, they like it so much.”