This fundraiser is created in honor of a talented young Armenian woman, Sona Mnatsakanyan, gone too soon in a tragic car accident at Leo crossroad in Yerevan on 26 April 2022. This scholarship was created to support the causes Sona Mnatsakanyan cared about and to pass on her legacy. 

History of the Scholarship

The scholarship program was initiated by Seda Papoyan, Sona's friend and founder of FemInno, and has been widely supported by Sona's family and friends. In 2022, during the first year of the scholarship program, 10 bright talents were awarded within the framework of the FemInno conference. As a result of fundraising in 2023, it was possible to allocate scholarships to 7 more girls.

About Sona

Sona Mnatsakanyan was an exceptionally talented woman with a heart for everything Armenian. She brought change to everyone in need and anywhere she could. With her life’s journey and wonderful plans tragically interrupted, taking with her the unborn baby Aria, it has now become a special mission to follow her wisdom and help fulfill her dreams about Armenia, about science and technology and the female talent within these. 

Goals and Target of the Scholarship

The Sona Mnatsakanyan Female Talent Scholarship is uniting the people who knew Sona and her work and who wish to support the continuation of her efforts. It also unites people caring about the STEM future of Armenia.

The raised funds will be allocated in the form of one-off scholarships to talented Armenian women in three main categories: 

• Renewable energy,
• Technology,
• Science.

Your Support will Reach at least 10 More Girls

The new round of scholarships will be awarded again during the FemInno conference, which will take place on July 27-28, 2024 in Yerevan. Ten girls and women from Armenia and Artsakh who are involved in any of the three key areas mentioned above will be supported to continue their efforts. The main goal is to continue Sona's programs to develop Armenia through quality education, supporting talented people, and particularly educating women and girls like Sona. Winners will be selected through an open competition to be announced soon and will be judged by a panel of organizers, Sona's family members and industry professionals.

As a symbolic tradition, Sona's mother presents the award to the selected applicants.

Impact of the Scholarship

"It was very important for me to see that there are people in our country who value and encourage the participation of women and girls in the STEM field, which makes us more responsible to do as much work as possible. You should really expect great things from us," says one of the girls who received the scholarship, Ani Petrosyan, who is currently studying data science and artificial intelligence at the University of Pennsylvania.

"This scholarship gave me the opportunity to use my opportunity to study in Germany and follow my dream, because otherwise I had to give up due to financial problems," says another scholarship recipient, Meri Grigoryan, who is currently studying computer science and data science at the Jacobs University in Bremen.

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Sona Mnatsakanyan believed that education can change lives and everyone deserves an opportunity, let’s continue Sona’s vision and support youth education!

You can find the budget here