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Diana Antonyan, at her young age, has already achieved significant success in the educational and professional fields. She founded the nonprofit organization Education For Armenians, which supports young people in reaching their educational goals. In her career, Diana has worked as a research assistant with a marketing professor at North Carolina State University and as a marketing intern in a Columbia University professor's organization Affiliated with the United Nations. She also won the Krieger Contest with her 13-page paper on the Armenian Genocide and received an award at the UN in New York, where the jury included professors from Columbia University and Fordham University.
How did your journey into the field of international education begin, and how are you currently helping teenagers with university admissions?
During the blockade and war, I particularly felt how unjust it was that young people were deprived of their right to education, and I saw that this situation was being ignored on an international level. At that time, I thought, if our country were stronger, would it still be disregarded like this? And I realized that a country's strength also depends on the strength of its economy.
At the same time, I remembered my parents, who at my age also did not have the opportunity to receive a good education during the 'dark and cold' years. During the day, when there was only one hour of electricity or gas, they had to help with household chores, and in those conditions, education took a backseat. Drawing these parallels, I realized how important education is and that the enemy had deprived us of the most powerful weapon—our right to education—during the blockade and war. For this reason, I decided that I must receive a quality education myself and understand what changes are necessary in our country's educational system.
I chose a country with a strong economy and no direct involvement in warfare, which was the United States, to study economics. Since that experience had a significant impact on me, I decided to help those young people who, like me, have a mission to discover quality education in the U.S. and use it for the betterment of Armenia.
What are the most common challenges that teenagers face during the admission process, and how do you help them overcome these challenges?
Here's the English translation of your text: Many professors scare students by saying that no one is accepted from Armenia, while every year many students from Armenia get accepted into top universities. Many get confused, not knowing what steps to take and in what order. My goal is to help them by organizing explanatory presentations and webinars that demonstrate the entire process.
You are still a university applicant. What challenges are you personally facing, and how do you plan to overcome them?
The biggest challenges are already behind me, as I have passed the difficult phase of exams and established my personal brand. Now, the only thing left is to complete the main application. In the application, perhaps the biggest difficulty is the moment of starting, because before you start, it seems that you will create a perfect essay right away. However, when the time comes, a thousand thoughts race through your mind, yet none are clear, even when you know the topic you want to write about. You don’t know how to begin. Although you want the text to be impressive, it seems that no option is impressive enough, and you feel you need to do even better. I plan to overcome all this by simply starting—perhaps in an "amateur" way—allowing it not to be perfect at first, but then I will refine it and make it what it needs to be. However, it takes quite a bit of courage to allow yourself to start and write imperfectly.
Has there ever been a moment when you doubted yourself, thinking that perhaps you wouldn't succeed? How did you overcome that doubt, and what helped you to keep going?
My entire story has always been about turning from something incredibly bad to becoming the best. During two admission exams, I was the worst in my group, which annoyed everyone. One of my professors even told me that I wouldn’t succeed and kept me in a military regime at her house until midnight for seven months, making me cry. However, thanks to discipline and self-study, I became the best and even received an offer to teach those very exam classes from another professor. At first, it seemed impossible to even reach an average level, let alone the best, but I persevered. There were instances where my applications were rejected due to my lack of experience, and a year later, when I applied again, they told me that I already had enough strong experience and wouldn’t learn anything new. They advised me to give the chance to those with less qualification, who could take a step forward with that opportunity. In short, I can’t be the “golden mean.” At first, it seems impossible, but then it becomes a reality, and perhaps that’s the key to my success.
What feelings does the university admission process evoke in you, and how do you manage that process?
I wake up with this goal in mind and go to sleep with the same thoughts. Many people struggle because they view this process as a secondary option, such as when they don't get accepted into universities in Armenia, not realizing that applying to universities in the U.S. is significantly more challenging. I keep this goal in my mind at all times, and it inspires me. I have fears related to these difficulties, the admission results, or living alone in another country, but I feel that this is the path I must take, and no obstacle can affect the outcome as long as I stand firm...
How did you choose the universities you applied to, and what expectations do you have from international education?
Of course, I have taken into account the proposed educational programs and academic aspects, but I have also considered how well I fit with the universities. I have chosen the universities based on where I felt the happiest. The climate and geographical location are also definitely important. Although I didn’t pay much attention to these factors before, after dreaming of New York for many years, I went there and realized that my body does not adapt well to the climate there.
What strategies or steps have you developed to increase your chances of admission, and what advice would you give to other applicants?
I am applying to various universities with different acceptance rates, starting from the most competitive to the easiest ones, in order to increase my chances of admission. Of course, I am applying to as many universities as possible.
What skills and knowledge have helped you the most in this process?
My knowledge of marketing has helped me a lot because I started studying at Impulse Academy when I was 13. Later, I deepened my understanding of marketing, and at 13, I received my first job offer in the marketing field from one of the instructors at Impulse Academy and began working. This taught me how to position myself correctly, which is very important for the application process, and I also learned how to build my personal brand.
What advice would you give to those teenagers who are also preparing to apply to university but don't know where to start?
