From Birthright Armenia to Fulbright Scholar

Published: Wednesday August 18, 2010

Talene Boodaghians.

Yerevan - Sponsoring Diasporan youth to Armenia in exchange for community service commitments is a large part of what Birthright Armenia does and has been doing for the past six years.

The connections young volunteers make here in the Homeland while volunteering occur on so many different levels, that you soon realize it is these newly forged relationships, be it with work colleagues, friends, homestay family members, or other volunteer participants, that slowly but surely begin to cement them to things Armenian.

At the same time, their roots get a bit more planted, and the creative juices flow a bit more freely, all conditions that help further open a volunteer's heart and mind to continued engagement in or with Armenia once their community service term is completed.

Such was the case for 22-year old Talene Boodaghians from Wayside, NJ. As a Birthright Armenia alum, she began searching for something that would allow her to dig deeper and broader into daily life in Armenia, much beyond the short-term internship she already had under her belt.

During her two-month volunteer placement in the summer of 2009, Boodaghians worked with a dedicated group of people at BioSophia, a health and environmental protection NGO based in Gyumri.

Fast forward to one year later, Boodaghians recently received official notification from the Fulbright Program that she had been granted a full research grant that would take her back to Hayastan this September. Once again working in conjunction with BioSophia, and concentrating on mental health related projects, she will also be given the opportunity to produce a series of short films about the work her 10-month scholarship will entail.

"During my BR/DH experience, I conducted a series of mental health workshops in conjunction with BioSophia. My research is a continuation of this work, an attempt to answer the questions generated in these seminars," states Boodaghians.

"Back in New Jersey, I spent most of my senior year studying Eastern Armenian, learning to use video editing software, and searching for a way to return to Gyumri. The Birthright Armenia staff has been so supportive, both during my volunteer service and during the Fulbright application process. The professional contacts and lifelong friends I made during my two months in Armenia have totally made this Fulbright grant possible."

Boodaghians is not the first Birthright Armenia alum to successfully compete for a Fulbright Scholarship, nor will she be the last.

Tamar Palandjian, a participant of the AYF in 2004, was on a year-long Fulbright scholarship while conducting her work at Yerevan State University in the field of conflict resolution in 2006.

"This is a ten month trip about cultural exchange," explains Boodaghians. "Improving my language skills, therefore, is absolutely imperative, so that's the first project I'll tackle. As a novice filmmaker, I don't really have lofty goals for my work, but if I can tell digital stories featuring Armenian voices, and if those stories can reach an audience outside of my immediate family, well, then in my mind, the trip will have been a success! I'm really lucky to have this opportunity and excited to begin my work," she concludes.

Films and other musings from Talene Boodaghians' Fulbright experience will begin this October and can be found at www.vochinch.tumblr.com

Birthright Armenia's mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia's daily life and to contribute to Armenia's development through work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense of Armenian identity. For more information, or to make an online donation, please visit our website at www.birthrightarmenia.org.