From Vanadzor to Shanghai

Hello! I am Hovik Martirosyan, a sophomore at New York University's Faculty of Data Science, a graduate of the Armath program, and an active young man from Vanadzor, who needs your financial support to continue his studies at the university of his dreams.

What are the obstacles in my way?

In February 2023, my life changed forever. I was enrolled in the Department of Data Science at New York University Shanghai. My joy was doubled when I learned that the university gave me a partial scholarship (51,800 USD per year) for my high performance and activity, leaving a contribution of about 30,000 USD per year for me and my family.

Although the financial obstacle was quite tangible for me and my family, I still ended up in Shanghai thanks to the tremendous help of my family and friends. As a result of fundraising in 2023, I completed my first academic year at the New York University Shanghai campus. However, it was only a quarter of the way, and today, I again need financial assistance to continue my studies at New York University, transferring to the 2nd year.

How can you help me?

To overcome the financial challenges and raise the money needed for the second year, my family and I are starting a fundraiser. With your help, we are hopeful that we will be able to collect a part of the necessary money, which will enable me to dive into one of the best universities in the world of data science for another year.

The amount needed for the 2024-25 school year is 33,000 USD. Half of the latter, 16,500 USD, must be transferred to the university by September 1, 2024, and the other half by January 1, 2025.

Your support can make a huge difference in my life and help me achieve my dream.

Here's how you can contribute:

• Donate. any amount you donate, big or small, will bring me closer to my goal and also ease the financial burden on my family.
• Spread the word: Spread the word about the fundraiser on social media, to friends and family, or on any other platform.
• Support. words of support can be just as valuable as financial investment.

How will your investment change my life?

Any help from you can help me achieve my short-term goal of getting quality and high-quality education in one of the best universities in the world. By helping me, you contribute to the creation of another qualified and educated Armenian specialist, which is a long-term investment in the development of the IT sector in Armenia and our country. In the future, it will also be of great benefit to the future students of the regions to strive and try to study in the best universities of the world.

My path and successes

My love for numbers and mathematics first manifested itself when I was in school. During those years, I participated in various mathematics Olympiads and competitions, which also opened the doors to the world of chess for me. Listed below are some successes in mathematics and chess.

• Best results in Kangaroo International Mathematical Competition 2017, 2018, 2020
• Participation in the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 republican Olympiads in mathematics
• First Class Diploma, 2017 for his deep knowledge in the subject of mathematics in the inter-university republican olympiad
• 1st place in the intra-school rounds of the 10th and 11th Chess Olympiad of RA schoolchildren
• Participation in the 2nd Pan-Armenian chess tournament organized in 2021. from July 26 to August 12 in cooperation with AGBU Armenian Virtual University and Chess Academy of Armenia

Math has also opened the doors to the world of programming for me, as a result of which I, 8-year-old Hovik, started attending the Armath engineering makerspace and was introduced to the world of coding. My mother, Armine, is a group leader in Armath, and I remember how I used to sit in her classes and listen attentively to the materials presented to children 2-3 years older than me. We both knew that my love for programming was instant and from an early age I started trying my hand and winning various youth programming competitions such as "Vozni 2019" and "DigiCode 2022".

The most significant and memorable of my achievements was my success with the VanRob team at "DigiCamp" 2017. The day was memorable and precious for me not only in connection with taking first place in the "Line-following Robots" competition, but thanks to the camp, I got to know and communicate with Karen Vardanyan, the founder of Armath Engineering Makerspaces, and Gagik Ginosyan, the founder of the "Karin" folk song-dance group. The conversations and meetings I had with them helped me increase my desire to become a good specialist and a good citizen for our motherland, valuing and striving to preserve our history and culture. And here today, following their advice, I strive to get the best knowledge and experience at New York University to return and leave my mark in Armenia.

My curiosity and diligence have also led me to the world of media literacy, where in 2021, after participating in a 4-day hackathon in Dilijan, we founded the "CheckLur" startup with a group of young people. Presenting at the last annual "DigiTech" technology expo in 2022, I once again felt the importance of media literacy and critical thinking and decided to pursue further opportunities in this field. As a result, after completing the "Digital Citizen Ambassadors" training program in 2023, I was awarded the title of "Digital Citizen Ambassador".

My lessons learned and reflections

Despite all these amazing experiences, I realized that I had to return to the real world, full of urgent and vital problems. Through participation in the International Youth Green Camp on Social and Green Entrepreneurship, I realized that there is an urgent need for sustainable change around me. I knew that I should contribute to this effort in every possible way. Now I am the founder of the ecological club of the university and I am planning innovative projects that, if successful, I will use in Armenia as well.

Why data science and why me?

I chose to study data science at NYU Shanghai because the program would help me gain the skills and knowledge to use modern technology in innovative and sustainable ways.

During this one year spent in Shanghai, I had new achievements:

• I improved and deepened my knowledge of mathematics and programming.
• During the programming courses, I participated in several projects with Python, during which I learned to make chats, and also created examples of the games we know, which had closed access.
• An article was published about me and my friends at the university, where I had the opportunity to present my past journey, impressions, and plans.
• Outside of classes, I also founded the environmental club of the university and also became a member of the chess club. By the way, I won first place in all chess competitions.
• With high progress and a great desire to gain new knowledge, I have transferred to the 2nd year, but I expect your support to continue my studies. Your help will motivate future Armenian students who will be able to get quality higher education regardless of their financial capabilities. By helping me, you create a platform of help for them as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. With your help, I can make my dreams come true and work towards making great progress for the world and especially for our motherland.