Hovsep Seferian, a recent Robinson Secondary School graduate, received the 18 Under 18 Award from the National Society of High School Scholars. The award and scholarship recognize Seferian's advocacy work for the Armenian community. (Nerses Semerjian)
FAIRFAX, VA — For his contributions to the Armenian community, the National Society of High School Scholars recently presented Hovsep Seferian of Fairfax with its 18 Under 18 Award. The scholarship honors students who spread positivity and show leadership in their communities through their passions.
A recent graduate of Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Seferian is about to start his freshman year at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While he welcomed the scholarship money, he appreciated the validation the award bestowed on his efforts on behalf of the Armenian community.
"I've been working really, really hard over my time in high school to try to make a difference," he told Patch. "My age has been a hurdle at times just because, for example, if I'm on the Hill and I'm lobbying people, they ask me, 'How old are you?'"
Seferian admitted that because of his age that his words were sometimes taken less seriously than others. That's why the 18 Under 18 Award meant so much to him.
"It shows that the work that I put in is being appreciated," he said.
Seferian's first exposure to anything having to do with Armenian culture was at church.
Every Sunday, Seferian and his family attended St. Mary's Armenian Church in Washington, D.C. At age 6, he started serving on the alter and when he was 9 or 10, he was ordained as an acolyte.
"Never had it occurred to me growing up that there was something more to being Armenian than church, because I wasn't really exposed to it," Seferian said. "But as I grew up, and I started meeting more and more Armenian people, I realized how the struggle for the freedom and the peace of our people has been ongoing and that motivated me over the past two years more than anything else to get more involved with advocacy work."
The 18-year-old's first step into advocacy came when he wrote a poem about the Armenian genocide for his English class at school. He ended up showing the poem to his priest. This led to an invitation to read the poem at the Armenian Embassy on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in April 2018.
"I remember this day like it was yesterday," he said. "I was 13-years old. This would have been almost five years ago now. I go up. I read it. I'm shaking. I'm nervous, but I delivered it fine."
Seferian recalled one of the consulate members coming up after he'd stepped down from the podium and saying,"When I grow up, I want to be like you."
"That really struck a chord with me," Seferian said. "That moment was probably an awakening of sorts, because I realized, 'Hey, I don't think there's anything inherently special about me, but I've been given opportunities to use my voice and this is what I want to keep doing.' From there, it just kind of grew and grew."
In high school, Seferian participated in speech and debate and discovered that he was pretty good at it.
Whenever there was a protest and a speaker was needed, Seferian would volunteer. He's delivered speeches in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy and the United Nations building. He's also visited Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress.
"It's been an amazing experience, because it makes you feel great as an Armenian to know that you're meeting with the lawmakers who are talking about how to help your country," he said. "But also as an American, it completely changes your view of how the government operates. … You see it in action. You meet the people that are making our laws face-to-face. How blessed we are to live in the United States that we get to go and do this."
In addition to his lobbying efforts, Seferian also completed an internship with the Armenian National Committee of America.
Even while Seferian was preparing for college, he had not slowed down his advocacy work. He is trying to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis involving the Republic of Artsakh, a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The mainly Armenian-populated area has been under a blockade by Azerbaijan since December 2022.
"No food, no water, no electricity, no power, no one can get in and out for medical service," he said. "It is undoubtedly an intended ethnic cleansing of the area by the Azerbaijani government, who have been trying to get rid of Armenians living there for the better part of three decades now."