Source: www.facebook.com

Varsik Nerkarayan is the office manager of the Northern Branch of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) in Ijevan. She is passionate about her work because she believes people must practice self-advocacy and initiative in order to better themselves and their community. When she is not working, you can find her at the local government offices advocating for transparency and the people of Ijevan’s rights. She started her position at EPF right out of university and was intimidated at first. However, she “overcame [her] fears and anxiety by believing in [herself], facing it head on, and educating [herself] on how to best do this new job. [She has] learned in life that no one will give [her] anything; [She] had to develop the skills and confidence on [her] own.” She attempts to impart this knowledge on the young people at her office that she mentors as well, as they are the future of Armenia. She truly cares about the people around her and believes that citizens are capable for building up their own community with hard work.