Ameriabank summarizes results of “My Armenia, My Future” student contest

YEREVAN, February 26. /ARKA/. Ameriabank finalized the results of “My Armenia, My Future” student contest held as part of “My Ameria, My Armenia” project.

The contest, announced by Ameriabank and Visa for all students of public and private universities was designed to identify and encourage students who are active, care about Armenia's future, flexible and have a vivid imagination.

The contest, which attracted students from 36 universities , consisted of three components:

- 160 students won a scholarship of 50 thousand drams monthly for 5 months in the second half of the 2024-25 academic year

- 10 students had the opportunity to participate in a short-term student program at the University of Berkeley

- The authors of the 3 best projects under the slogan “My Armenia, My Future” received up to AMD 10 million in funding from Ameriabank.

The contest was open to students of the 2024-25 academic year who are Ameriabank Visa Student cardholders. Applicants for the scholarship had to have the highest test scores, be second-year students and have a quality grade point average (analogous to GPA - ed.) of at least 65% in the given university. And those who applied for project funding and/or participation in the University of Berkeley program had to obtain maximum scores on both the test and project evaluation (regardless of the average quality scores).

The authors who received Ameriabank funding for their projects were:

- Zhanna Artutyunyan, a student of the State Economic University of Armenia, with a project to create a video platform where 8 national Armenian hand embroidery patterns will be presented and techniques will be preserved

- Vahagn Zakaryan, a student of the National Agrarian University with a project of creating a keyboard for a smartphone based on the principle of the Braille system for visually impaired and blind people.

- Volodya Torosyan, a student of the National Agrarian University, with a project of creating a soil analysis laboratory to increase the efficiency of cultivation of certain crops and, as a result, the development of agriculture.

The jury included independent experts from various fields, as well as representatives of VISA and Ameriabank.

Ameriabank Marketing and Communications Director Rebeka Hakobyan said that the idea of providing student scholarships was based on the desire to find initiative young people in Armenia who want to move forward and encourage those who make efforts to gain knowledge and demonstrate good results.

“At the same time, it was clear to us that this is not enough since education is a start and it is important for us to find young people in our country who see the changes necessary for their community. That is why we initiated the project contest. The goal is clear - we asked students to find a problem in their community that motivates them to find a solution,” she said.

Hakobyan emphasized that there were a lot of applications for each component.

“The choice was difficult, but we are happy that we were able to select the three best projects and also to highlight young people, including those with excellent English skills, who will go to Berkeley and gain knowledge and skills for critical and analytical thinking,” she said.

Ameriabank's director of marketing and communications also said the program will continue this year.

According to Nvard Melkonyan, jury member, Head of the Public Relations Master's Program at Yerevan State University, Co-Founder- Chairperson of SPRING PR Company, the selection was difficult but also interesting, as it showed what Armenian youth breathe and live today and what they think needs to be changed.

“Only 10 projects out of those that made it to the final stage were related to ecology, 7 to agricultural development, 6 to education,” she explained.

Melkonyan also said that the projects were selected according to the criteria of idea urgency, priority in terms of solving the presented problem, realistic implementation and assessment of the final results taking into account the amount of funding provided.

“It is very important to involve young people in solving the country's urgent problems,” the jury member added.

One of the winners, a student of the American University of Armenia Artur Karapetyan said that he wants to use the trip to Berkeley to gain knowledge in the fields of startups and AI, as well as to develop networking skills. Speaking about the project he presented, Karapetyan said it concerns the use of tuff waste (16 cubic meters annually) to create soundproof panels.

In 2024, Ameriabank launched three campaigns within the framework of “My Ameria, My Armenia” project: “My Ameria, My Armenia”, “My Armenia, My Home” and “My Armenia, My Future”. The goal of the project is to unite people around the idea of Ameriabank and improve the quality of life together.

About Ameriabank

Ameriabank is a leading financial and technological institution, one of the important players in the Armenian economy. As part of its digital transformation strategy, the Bank introduces and continuously improves unique market products, services and innovative platforms designed to meet people's financial and non-financial needs. Being a dynamically developing fintech environment, Ameriabank offers comprehensive solutions to improve the quality of life.

The Bank is controlled by the Central Bank of Armenia. -0-

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