Once a Volunteer, Now Leading Armenia's State Tourism Committee
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"My repatriation story is directly connected to Birthright Armenia. It was through Birthright that I truly fell in love with Armenia and rediscovered my path. That is how the idea to move to Armenia was born." What a journey for Sisian. She is yet another example of paths that open unexpected doors and lead to challenging yet rewarding experiences. We’ve seen it before with volunteers taking their level of service to high-ranking leadership positions. Meet Sisian Boghossian (36), originally from Iran, and then moved to Toronto, Canada. We knew her as an energetic volunteer in 2019 and now proud to share that she is heading Armenia’s State Tourism Committee. What's her story? How did she get here? Read on!
It was three years ago that Sisian decided to do Birthright Armenia because at that point of her life she was looking for an opportunity to take a break fromthe daily grind and step back to figure out what will truly make her happy. "I wanted to take some risks and figure out what the next move should be in my life and career”,says Sisian. During her six-month stay in Armenia, she volunteered with the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) at the American University of Armenia (AUA), where she mentored teams of students to launch their own startups. She also volunteered with the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA), where Sisian found she could directly apply what she learned while earning a master’s degree from York University in marketing and organizational behavior.
"There are many exciting projects on the go, and Birthright Armenia is still supporting me in this stage of my career by providing engaged volunteers."
~ Sisian Boghossian
After two years of supporting the export of Armenian skincare products to Canada, Sisian decided to repatriate and partake in the iGorts program. Considering her education and work experience of 15+ years, Sisian’s work site became the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, creating and implementing a digital marketing and promotion strategy for Armenia.
A couple of months into her fellowship with iGorts, Sisian was appointed as the Head of the Tourism Committee of Armenia. "In my role, I am committed to raise the profile of Armenia as a tourism destination on the international stage," tells Sisian. "I have a great responsibility to showcase what makes Armenia special on an international stage. Armenia is still an unexplored destination, waiting to be discovered. Those who have had the opportunity to visit Armenia fall in love with its authenticity, people, culture, food, pristine nature, and an enigmatic factor that makes them feel right at home." In early June, Sisian and her team were integral to showing over 100 EU delegates from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) just how special a country Armenia is for tourism during their three-day stay. And coming up in the latter part of this summer, the State Tourism Committee, with Sisian at the helm, will be working on launching a new website to give another boost to Armenia's new brand identity.
Via Toronto and Iran, Sisian serves as an inspiration to us all – particularly for you while thinking of how best to pave your own path in Armenia. Learn more about the opportunities we offer our alumni.
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