Letter from OUR Student

SEDA MURADYAN ( 12th grade , Amrakits , Lori Region )

Dear Reader ,

My name is Seda Muradyan and I am from Amrakits .

You probably would have never heard of my village , had not a Teach For Armenia Teacher-Leader moved to our community two years ago . The general assumption here is that if you are born in a village like Amrakits , you won ’ t be able to achieve much and will have no chance of creating a different life . Stereotypes around what people from a village can and cannot do are widespread in Armenia , including in my own community .

After Ms . Arusik moved to Amrakits , I began hearing about her from my fellow students . I was moved by the warmth and kindness with which they spoke of her , inspiring me to want to be involved with her project of creating our village ’ s first library . I came to know Ms . Arusik as an individual who broke through stereotypes , believing in herself and the potential of village kids like me .