There are instances where individuals exhibit remarkable resilience and determination, defying the odds to shape their own destinies. One such person is 23-year-old Anush Margaryan, who, as a 4th-grade student, took thick dictionaries with her to school. Anush has been very curious since childhood and considers it one of her best qualities. It is precisely because of her curiosity and ability that she is now making her first steps in science.
“I was in the 4th grade when my mother gave me a small encyclopedia with interesting information from various branches of science. I read it every day, then went to school and taught it to my classmates. That’s how I became interested in science,” says Anush with a modest smile.
In the 8th grade, the Biology teacher, seeing Anush’s inclination and interest in science, offered her to participate in the Biology Olympiad for 9th graders. “I was scared because I was one year younger,” says Anush. She was the first one who, being an 8th grade student, was recognized as the winner in the 3rd grade in the 9th grade program in the republican stage.
Then school competitions start to interest Anush more, and she starts preparing for the participation in the International Biology Olympiad. During that period, she had a lot of difficulties, because the schools of rural communities in Armenia are not very informed about the rules of the International Olympiad, so Anush had to do the main part of the work on her own. “The lessons were either in Russian or in English, and my level of knowledge of foreign languages was very low. But after seeing the students who participated in international Olympiads, I decided to participate. I also cultivated my English proficiency as a result of self-study and daily hard work,” she says.
Anush participated in the International Biology Olympiad in the 11th grade. “Since the school in our village did not have opportunities for laboratory examinations, I did not have that practical knowledge and in order to participate in the Olympiad, I had to fill in those gaps and for that I had to go to Yerevan every time. After school, I went to Yerevan 4 times a week, first accompanied by my mother, then on my own. “If my parents were not more open-minded and did not allow me to go to Yerevan alone, I certainly would not have achieved this,” she says honestly.
Anush speaks with special love and enthusiasm about science and her chosen branch. “Biology includes everything: chemistry, physics, mathematics, and now it is starting to include programming. I think it is impossible to get bored in this field, because new things are constantly emerging, new branches are developing,” she says.
Along with classes and scientific competitions, Anush Margaryan also showed great community activity and as she says, wherever she appears, she fights for justice and creating equal opportunities for everyone. Thus, with the support of the Women’s Fund Armenia, Anush implemented programs for the teenage girls of her birthplace, Avshar village. “With the help of the WFA, in the first year we created a scientific laboratory in the school of our village, then we started to organize meetings with scientists, visits to museums and scientific centers, where the girls did scientific experiments, communicated with scientists and were inspired by them,” she elaborates.
Anush mentions that the programs she organized in her village have aroused great interest, and even now the schoolchildren are eagerly waiting for her to implement a new program.
Anush is also a graduate of the FLEX exchange program. According to her, inspired by her experience, many schoolchildren now apply to the program with the long-term goal of continuing their education in the USA.
Speaking about her choice of profession and university, Anush says: “Since I was constantly busy with the Olympiads, there was no time to seriously think about the university. After graduating from high school, I applied to the Yerevan State Medical University, but I went to the USA for FLEX and took a deferment from the university for that. I didn’t want to become a doctor, I wanted to do concrete science more. After FLEX, I tried to attend classes at the Medical University for less than a semester, but I was not interested and during that time I decided to apply to several American universities. I was admitted to several of them. I received a full scholarship from the University of Richmond, which is only given to 25 people from around the world. Now, I am studying molecular biology, biochemistry, and cognitive sciences, and I really like the field I have chosen,” Anush says enthusiastically.
Anush Margaryan leads an active community life at the University of Richmond, aiming to raise the voice of international students. She has been the president of the International Club at the university for three years. “There were various student clubs in the university. In the first year, I saw that there was no club for international students (there used to be one, but it was no longer functioning) and I decided to reopen that club. I have been the president of the club from the first year until now. We organize various events and meetings in order to make the voices of international students more audible and not to feel neglected. Last year, we organized an international festival in which 600 people from the university participated,” she says.
Last semester, Anush studied abroad in Denmark for one semester. “I was in Europe for the first time and had a very interesting and inspiring experience. In Denmark, I saw different methods of protecting the environment and ecology, which I think can also be applied in Armenia,” she says.
Anush Margaryan has plans to continue her studies in PHD and study in the field of stem cell biology. “I will work in the laboratory for several years, as a result of which I can get an offer to lecture, and later, when I become independent, I will be able to open my own laboratory. I am thinking a lot and I would really like to go that way and open a stem cell biology laboratory in Armenia, because there is no such thing in Armenia yet,” she says.
According to Anush, the encouragement of her relatives and friends has greatly contributed to her success. “My parents and friends have always encouraged me. In Armenia, women are much less involved in science. People often say that science is not for women, and many girls can become frustrated and not even try. Sometimes I think if it wasn’t for the encouragement and support of my relatives and friends, maybe I wouldn’t have achieved so much success. If most of our compatriots had this approach, I think we would not have such a big gender gap in the field of science,” she says.
Anush notes that when faced with difficulties or the failure of some business enterprise, she does not give up and immediately shows a new, alternative approach, and she believes that this is one of her strongest suits.
Anush Margaryan remembers how she realized the importance of her activity and how she decided to fight against gender inequality and injustice with her involvement in science. “I learned about Rosalind Franklin in the 8th grade. She discovered the structure of DNA, but remained in the shadows because of the patriarchal system. Men above her actually stole the idea from her. She devoted her whole life to science and died of cancer at the age of 35, because she was exposed to strong radiation as a result of crystallography. When I learned that story, I was very upset and cried. Every day before going to sleep I thought that I would do everything for her. This has been one of the most inspiring and at the same time sad stories for me, and that story of Rosalind now forces me to restore the injustices in science towards women scientists with my work and activities,” she says with a modest smile, then adds: “Today, the International day of Women and girls in Science, one of the important tips is to talk about such women, publicize their activity and contribution to science. And this is especially important for teenage and young girls, so that they, like me, get to know, be inspired and fight to find and secure their place in science.”
Interview by Yelena Sargsyan
Photos by Anush Margaryan
