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Meri Prtavyan, BS in Computer Science ‘23

Seth and Arsine Arsenian Endowed Scholarship and Armenouhi Boghosian Boghosian Endowed Scholarship

Originally from Vanadzor, Meri moved to Yerevan at the age of 13. After graduating from high school, she initially applied to the French University in Armenia to major in law. However, during one of her classes, her instructor talked about his passion for programming, sparked her curiosity in the subject and motivated her to change her collegiate path. 

After completing courses in programming and participating in a bootcamp at the Microsoft Innovation Center Armenia, Meri decided to confidently pursue more knowledge in computer science, which led her to apply to AUA. 

In addition to her current academic pursuits at AUA, she also works at Flux Technologies as a front-end developer. “Studying at AUA helped me a lot. Aside from programming, I also received background knowledge in algorithms and data science, which I use in the work that I do now,” she notes. 

Meri aims to focus on her studies and build her career at her current company as she sees it as a good opportunity and solid foundation for her to grow upon. In her future plans, she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in Information Technology (IT). “I truly believe that the only way to make a significant difference in Armenia is by investing more into the field of IT because our knowledge and skills in the field give us power, something no one can take away from us. I believe fulfilling my role in IT is how I will personally make a difference, no matter how small.”

Meri notes that she was inspired by her donors, Setta Arsenian McCabe and Nina Bogossian Quigley, who invested in her education. She admires the fact that there are people willing to make a difference in her life without even knowing her, which makes her work harder. “Do you know the movie, ‘Pay It Forward?’ it’s about getting something from someone, and instead of paying them back, you pay it forward; you give it to someone else and it becomes a chain. Their generosity motivates me to pay it forward, and perhaps one day, I can make a difference in someone else’s life.”