PRESS OFFICE
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: far-press@farusa.org
Website:

March 16, 2007
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COMPUTER EXPERT FROM TEXAS HEADS TO ARMENIA TO EMPOWER NEXT GENERATION

Jason Kazarian is a third-generation Armenian-American living in Dallas,
Texas. But he’s empowering the next generation of Armenians halfway around
the world in order for them to build a better future for the motherland.

He’s using his knowledge of cutting-edge technology to teach at the Gyumri
Information Technology Center (a program created by the Fund for Armenian
Relief (FAR) in partnership with Enterprise Incubator Foundation and
Armenian American entrepreneurs Zabel Vassilian and Patrick Sarkissian) to
improve the economic situation of northern Armenia.

CREATING OPPORTUNITY

He didn’t set out to visit Armenia, let alone go there to teach for two
weeks, it was really almost accidental. A parishioner at the St. Sarkis
Armenian Church of Dallas, Kazarian sometimes attends services organized by
the mission parish in Austin.

Last year Dn. Ken Maranian of Austin went on the Young Professionals Trip to
Armenia organized by FAR. He sent out an e-mail to the Armenian community
in Texas describing the programs operated by FAR which give hope,
opportunity, and empowerment to the citizens of Armenia. One of those
programs was the Gyumri Information Technology Center (GITC).

Launched in 2005, the GITC develops employment opportunities in the
earthquake zone by training students and linking U.S. IT companies to Gyumri
graduates. With more than 20 years of professional experience in software
and systems engineering, Kazarian was interested in the GITC when Maranian
described it.

In July 2006, Kazarian dashed off an email to FAR and soon was writing back
and forth to the director and staff of the GITC trying to ascertain the
needs of the center’s students. The staff wanted someone to help teach
Linux and Oracle, and Kazarian had both the skills and desire to teach.

So, without even speaking Armenian, he headed off to give of his time and
skills by leading a 12-day, intensive series of classes in Armenia.

PERSONAL CONNECTION

At first, his decision was greeted with suspicion from his family, who had
never been to Armenia, and friends who hadn’t been there recently.

"When I talked to people in church who went to Armenia maybe five years ago,
they warned me to be prepared for something unsavory. But I found most of
their fears were unwarranted," he said. "The Diaspora forgets Armenia has
been independent for 15 years. Things have greatly improved in that time."

He has taught various classes in the United States, including specialized
in-house training for development and engineering firms such as
Alcatel-Lucent, NASA, and Raytheon. He has also been a guest lecturer at
California State University. In Armenia there were some translation issues,
especially with technical terminology. But the students were eager to
learn.

"The hunger for knowledge was more than I expected," Kazarian said. "The
students in the U.S. are interested, but the students at the GITC wanted to
know in excruciating detail every subtle part of the course. They had
questions about why things were. They wanted to really know. In the U.S.,
I might say there’s an algorithm and people are satisfied. The students in
Gyumri wanted to know how the algorithm worked."

EMPOWERING THE FUTURE

Kazarian said the capabilities and interest of the students in Armenia far
exceeded his expectations. In fact, with his students’ strong desire for
more, his teaching didn’t end after he left Armenia.

Using Skype, an Internet-based teleconferencing program, he began teaching a
new systems development course in February. This course, which will run
through June, is a unique program in the region.

It is a senior seminar in which students team up to build a functioning
software product, in this case a registration database for the GITC. They
will go through all phases of the product lifestyle: identifying customer
requirements, designing and developing their software solution, and testing
the finished product.

The course is designed to teach beyond the classroom environment, placing
students into a real world challenge and push their capabilities beyond
their comfort zone.

The new class is designed to give the students the skills and experiences
they need to work in the highly competitive IT industry, bringing needed
income to the Gyumri region. Already 10 graduates have found jobs, many
with entrepreneurs who have successful IT firms in Yerevan. With the
quality of students found at the GITC, these businessmen are going where the
talent is and opening branch offices in Gyumri.

"The students are willing to do work if we give it to them," Kazarian said.
"And now they can go into interviews and say ‘I’ve actually done this.’"

Each year the GITC, a one-room school with no full-time faculty, has to turn
down applicants who want to empower themselves and build a better future for
their families and community.

Thanks to professionals such as Kazarian, the GITC is able to offer its
students a cutting-edge education. And for Kazarian the experience of
traveling halfway around the world to teach was a profoundly deep one.

"Not that I intend to in the near or not too near future, but I can die
happy now. I’ve actually done something that is essentially a life’s work,"
he said emotionally. "You listen to Americans complain about how terrible
things are. You go to Armenia and see what it is like and what we Americans
take for granted. Then you can’t complain."

"It is gratifying to be able to do something for people who appreciate the
work you’re doing and the effort and time you’re giving," he added.
"They’re so hungry and thirsty for knowledge. And I’m thrilled I’m teaching
something that is cutting-edge and of great benefit to northern Armenia.
And it is something I never thought about doing, but after a click on a web
page and e-mails back and forth look what happened."

He encourages other IT professionals to give back by teaching classes in
Armenia. Interested individuals can contact FAR through its website,
or simply call 212-889-5150.

"We’ve got to start giving back," Kazarian said. "This is a new future for
Armenia."

— 3/16/07

PHOTO CAPTION: Some of the students building a better future for themselves
and their families by studying at FAR’s Gyumri Information Technology
Center, which was established to give the young people of the impoverished,
earthquake damaged region increased job opportunities.