POV: Being the Finance Instructor at the COAF SMART Center in Lori

“I learn from and receive so much positive energy from SMART students.” - Nelly Kobelyan

Nelly Kobelyan, the Finance Instructor at the COAF SMART Center in Lori confesses that she never considered working in education before. At first, as she says, the only thing that instilled a sense of confidence in the work she’d chosen was the love towards children and finance.

“On my first day at SMART I had a feeling that I’ve known and been teaching these kids for a while,” remembers Nelly.

Today she enjoys the rapport she’s built with her students and is motivated by the idea that everyday is an opportunity for her to inspire her students to set goals and reach for them.

“I simply help with formulating clear goals, time management, and creating successful paths,” says Nelly. She’s convinced that all SMART programs help in increasing the students’ self-esteem, broadening their worldview, and providing professional orientations.

To motivate her students, Nelly started a small cotton candy production last year.

“Sometimes my students are skeptical toward my insistence that it’s possible to start a business with only a small amount of money. So, I decided to challenge myself and show them it is possible with my own business.”

Nelly working on final projects with her students during the SMART summer program.

Thanks to the Finances program the students are not spending all their money on food from the cafeteria or on snacks. They now know how to save and are doing everything they can to have savings from a young age.

One of the best ways to make any program easy and fun is to turn it into a game. There is no shortage of board games about finances at SMART and they are mainly created by the students.

Nelly loves exchanging different business ideas with colleagues and motivating them to generate and realize new ideas.

After dozens of sleepless nights making cotton candy, only Nelly succeeded in receiving her own technology for it.

Nelly often conducts cotton candy making master classes for the children.

Nelly teaching the kids how to make different shapes with cotton candy.