The Holidays are the perfect time to gather with our family and friends and have conversations which we often didn’t have time for during the year. These days we sat down with COAF SMART Center student Artashes Ghumashyan to learn about the interests of a 13-year-old guy from the town of Alaverdi in Armenia’s Lori region.
1․ The advantages of living in Alaverdi
Do you need to purchase and pay for different types of berries in the place of your residence? In the Sanahin area of Alaverdi town, they don’t have to. Artashes says, “The berries grow everywhere, and you just need to get out and harvest them.”
2․ Dream job and future profession
Diversity gives options. Likewise, the variety of COAF SMART Center programs has uncovered multiple alternatives of a future profession to Artashes. “I love photography, and I also like being photographed. I often contemplate between becoming a photographer, director, model, and actor,” he says.
Artashes clearly remembers the first day he went to SMART. “It was my birthday, and it turns out I’m three years old with COAF.” Artashes dreams of teaching at the SMART Center one day–the educational hub where he’s met new friends from different communities and learned things that aren’t taught anywhere in his region. He wants to teach graffiti art, a niche program that doesn’t exist at the Center yet, but who knows?!
3․ The most valuable skill learned
What’s the most fun teamwork activity that you know? Well, a dance COAF SMART Center’s Dance program students staged recently is Artashes’ favorite teamwork experience so far. “We were gathering during the practice, dividing our roles, and what’s important, we were helping and replenishing each other in the process.” Here’s the result, take a look!
4․ The marketer side of Artashes
“A lot of things I learned during the SMART Marketing program I use on a daily basis. For instance, when given a task to sell our product during a class activity of the SMART Russian program, the marketing tactics I learned helped me position our brand the way that our team won,” explains Artashes.
5․ Favorite holiday
New Year is Artashes’ favorite holiday of the year, which he celebrates with his parents and three brothers. “I put lights on my bed, make coffee with marshmallows, and watch movies,” he describes his very personal Christmas mood.
