IMPACT STORY: PLANTING ROOTS OF CHANGE
When Vahan Zaroyan joined the TLP, he thought he was stepping into a teaching role. He didn’ t expect it would also redefine his sense of leadership, purpose, and home. Placed in Artsakh, Vahan quickly discovered that teaching wasn’ t about delivering information from the front of the classroom. It was about standing beside his students, helping them believe in themselves, especially when the world around them offered little certainty.
I used to think leadership meant standing in front and giving directions. But I’ ve come to understand that real leadership is about growing together— learning side by side, building something with others, not for them. When I first stepped into my classroom, the community had few resources, and the students had little belief in themselves. But I saw something in them. Slowly, they started showing up differently. They were more curious, more engaged. Even the quietest students began to speak up. One of the moments I’ ll never forget was when attendance began to rise, not because they were required to come, but because they genuinely wanted to. That’ s when I knew we were doing something right. I wanted to take that energy beyond the classroom. So, I started a small workshop where students created crafts from recycled materials. What began as an after-school activity turned into something bigger, a space where students learned about the environment and their responsibility to it. They weren’ t just making things; they were starting conversations about how we live and consume. It became a movement about community identity and caring for what we have.
Today, I’ m continuing that journey through the Armenia Tree Project and the NGO I co-founded, Bartzunk. I teach geography and ecology not just as subjects, but as tools for understanding and protecting our land. One of my favorite projects was when my students mapped out local water sources and came up with conservation ideas. Some of their suggestions were actually adopted by the village. That moment proved to them, and to me, that their voices matter. Environmental education isn’ t just about teaching nature. It’ s about national resilience. It’ s about giving kids the tools to understand their home, protect it, and shape their own future. Looking back, I can say this: Teach For Armenia didn’ t just train me to teach— they helped me see the bigger picture. They helped me realize that change doesn’ t come from outside. It grows from within the community, if you know how to nurture it.
Vahan Zaroyan Generation 5 Alumni-Ambassador, Environmental Education Specialist, Armenia Tree Project
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