“We usually look inward, focusing on doing everything only for the Armenian people, but if we are a little more far-sighted, we will notice that Ruben Vardanyan’s visionary projects — be it UWC Dilijan, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, or the Wings of Tatev cable car — all of these are looking at the long term, and they are designed to develop villages, but using a different method,” said Alice Petrossian, member of UWC Dilijan Board of Governors, international education consultant, and member of the boards of several American universities, during an interview with CivilNet on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the UWC Dilijan International School.
She recalled how, at first, the idea of having a UWC network college in Dilijan, Armenia caused her confusion. “Every time we visited the villages of Dilijan to repair a school building or help the teachers, we were met with a bad situation, and then I would turn and see a wonderful building, the UWC Dilijan building, which was intended for international students. Now, I admit my short-sightedness. I didn’t understand how farsighted Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend were, as they believed that those studying in Armenia should not only be Armenian students, but that you should bring all nations to your country, introduce them to the history and music of your country, and then make them your spokesperson and your closest friends for a lifetime.”
She noted that the vision of Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend was to preach peace around the world, and that this is clearly reflected in the Dilijan International School, where young people from more than 90 countries study together. “When the Artsakh war started, Turkey forced the three Turkish students to return home, thinking that we would not treat those children well in Armenia. We invited the children, called the parents, and told them that we are returning the children to Turkey. Do you know what the children said? ‘We will never leave Armenia. We even support their way of thinking and what they have done.’”
Alice Petrossian considers the establishment of UWC Dilijan important for the development of the city of Dilijan itself. “When children finish school, hundreds of tourists come from abroad for their graduation ceremony. Do you know what that means for Dilijan, even for Yerevan? Then, they tell others back home, they send more children to Armenia, and the country creates a name for itself in a positive light. And that is our public relations and publicity, which are very important.”
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The full interview with Alice Petrossian is available on the CivilNet by this link.