By Students, For Students: SMART Connects in June

What happens when students share not only what they created, but what they learned along the way?

On June 5, more than 120 students gathered at the COAF SMART Center in Lori for the first-ever SMART Connects: By the Students, For the Students—a conference-style event that put student learning journeys center stage.

While SMART students regularly present projects, SMART Connects focused on the experiences behind them. Through short TED-style talks, students reflected on challenges, discoveries, mistakes, and moments of personal growth, sharing not just what they built, but how the journey shaped them.

The event also featured a guest speaker from the COAF Education and Alumni Programs team about opportunities available after SMART, as well as a student panel discussion that shifted the focus away from projects entirely and onto the broader SMART experience.

Preparing for the Stage

While every SMART Student has had the chance to share their projects during graduation, the SMART Connects event empowered 5 presenting groups, selected from dozens of applicants, to participate in a special showcase that tested their presentation skills.

Personalized coaching helped students hone their narratives and stage presence, while encouraging students to explore both project outcomes, as well as the personal journeys behind them.

Students were challenged to move beyond dry facts, build narratives, and share insights into the challenges, surprises, and eureka moments that shaped their process along the way.

Stories Behind the Projects

Throughout the afternoon, students explored a wide variety of themes across diverse SMART programs.

Smart Drone Mapping Armenia (SDMA)

Participants from the Smart Drone Mapping project demonstrated how drone technology and GIS tools can be used to create detailed digital maps that can potentially solve real problems in real communities.

The Trial of Tehlerian

Audiences heard how one group transformed the historical trial of Soghomon Tehlirian into a multimedia theater production, combining film and live performance to explore questions of memory, justice, and identity, as presented by Susanna Titanyan.

The Fundamental of Dance

Another team spoke about how they created an online educational resource for future dance students preparing for university entrance exams, motivated by a challenge they witnessed dance students in Armenia facing with limited resources.

Kulbas Socks, Designing for Production

Naneh Ghazarian shared how students involved in the KULBAS × COAF collaboration translated Lori’s architectural heritage into wearable designs. 

“When I heard there would be an event where students share with fellow students, I was genuinely excited because I had often wondered what it would be like to present directly to other students,” shares Nane Ghazaryan. She adds that “It was a wonderful experience.”

Emotional Intelligence for Teens

The final student presentation explored emotional intelligence among adolescents and the process of turning research into a practical educational journal designed to help young people better understand and manage their emotions.

By the students, for the students

Among the audience were students at every stage of their SMART journey. Some were just beginning their first courses and imagining the projects they might one day create. Others saw their own experiences reflected in the stories shared from the stage. Many left with new ideas, new perspectives, and perhaps the realization that one day they could be standing in front of their peers, sharing their own story.

As the first SMART Connects came to a close, one thing became clear: the event was never only about showcasing finished work.

It was about creating a space where students could learn from one another, celebrate growth, and recognize that the journey behind a project can be just as valuable as the result itself.