Daniela Girbal
President Daniela is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, but she grew up in Los Angeles. She is a proud Bruin (Class of 2012) and during her time at UCLA she took on leadership roles within the Armenian Students' Association and Alpha Gamma Alpha. In May of 2018, she earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and is currently working towards her license as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Daniela truly loves the St. Monica Catholic Community, as she attended both elementary and high school there. She has worked there in a variety of roles since graduating from UCLA and is currently a College and Academic Counselor and teaches U.S. History.
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Armen Safarian
Marketing Director Armen was born and raised in Los Angeles. Having attended Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School and being a part of Homenetmen Scouting, the Armenian community played an integral part of his youth and development. Armen graduated from UCLA in 2017 and works in International Television Distribution at NBCUniversal. In addition, Armen holds a leadership position in the Young Professionals Network within the company. During his free time, Armen enjoys ATV racing and graphic design. Armen plans to continue his education and pursue an MBA degree in the coming years.
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Serli Polatoglu
Graduate Student Program Director Serli Polatoglu is a Litigation Associate at Paul Hastings LLP in Los Angeles, California. A double Bruin, she graduated from UCLA summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 2013, and from UCLA School of Law in 2016. During her time at the UCLA School of Law, Serli externed at the Ninth Circuit, clerked at the United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, and served as a member of the UCLA Supreme Court Clinic.
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Karina Vartanian
Membership Director Karina was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised in Beirut, Lebanon. She attended Saint Joseph’s School for her primary education and pursued a degree in interior architecture at the Lebanese American University. During her time at LAU, she was a member of the AGBU University Students' Committee where she organized fundraisers and social events to connect young Armenians. Shortly after completing her degree, Karina moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a designer and project manager. Karina currently works at the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce Southern California where she is Director of Operations. In her spare time, Karina enjoys dance and all forms of art, including illustration, painting and photography.
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Andrea Megerdichian
Social Events Director Andrea was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, San Diego for her Bachelors in Sociology. Shortly after graduating, she became a realtor with Coldwell Banker Hallmark Realty helping clients sell, buy and invest in Real Estate throughout LA County. She also manages properties for her investor clients under RECAP Investment Property Management. In addition, Andrea is part of the Management Team within her brokerage as a trainer and production coordinator, working with agents directly to increase their sales productivity. When she’s not selling real estate or coaching agents, she is creating real estate video content for her social media accounts to help educate buyers and sellers on the intricacies of their transactions, or planning her next travel adventure!
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Talar Alexanian
Professional Events Director Talar is the Senior Associate for Strategies 360, a full-service public affairs, research, and communications firm. Prior to consulting, Talar spent years shaping higher education advocacy and policy for the CSU and UC systems. A proud Matador, Talar earned her degree in Journalism and Political Science from Cal State Northridge. At CSUN, Talar was elected twice as Vice President of the student body and held leadership roles in the Armenian Student Association and Alpha Gamma Alpha sorority. She is also a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. A native Angeleno, Talar values civic engagement and giving back to her community. In her spare time, she loves exploring LA’s diverse food scene and traveling the world every chance she gets!
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Alec Kargodorian
Finance Director Alec grew up in Los Angeles and attended USC where he earned his B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance in 2019. While at USC, he was involved in the Armenian Students' Association and took part in several other campus organizations. His past experience includes Equity Research, Asset Management, and Financial Analysis. Currently, he is an Investment Adviser Representative at Golden K Plans & Wealth, his family's Wealth Management & Third Party Administration business. On his spare time, Alec enjoys playing soccer, snowboarding, and hiking.
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Sevag Konialian
Mentorship Director Sevag was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School for the entirety of his early education. He then went on to study at Loyola Marymount University, where he graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies. Currently, he is a Global Operations Associate at BIRD, where he manages new product implementation and data analytics. As the Middle-Eastern Lead for diversity and inclusion at his workplace, he advocates for different experiences and perspectives to drive innovation in emerging tech. In his spare time, Sevag enjoys cooking, photography, and travel.
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Stephanie Mkhlian
Communications Director Stephanie was born and raised in Los Angeles. She attended Mount Saint Mary’s University for her undergraduate studies, earning a B.A. in International Relations & Political Science with a minor in pre-law. Shortly after graduating, she volunteered in Beirut, Lebanon and thereafter became an AmeriCorps VISTA for the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office. Currently, she serves as a Field Deputy for the California State Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian of District 46. When she is not fulfilling her role of APS Communications Director, she can be found doing advocacy work for organizations such as LAWorks, GALAS, SWANA-LA.
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Sam Donabedian
Secretary Sam was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He attended the University of California, Irvine for his undergraduate studies, earning a B.A. in Criminology, Law and Society. During his time at UCI, Sam was a four-year letter winner in baseball, academic all Big-West Conference, and a member of the UCI 2007 College World Series team. Thereafter, he attended the University of West Los Angeles School of Law for his graduate studies where he graduated with Moot Court Honors and multiple Witkin Awards for Academic Excellence. Currently, he is the founder and shareholder in Donabedian Law, APC a civil litigation firm based in Los Angeles. Aside from his duties as Secretary, Sam is a member of the Armenian National Committee of America, Los Angeles Triple XXX Armenian Fraternity and Armenian Bar Association.
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Nerses Aposhian
Past President Nerses Aposhian was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He attended the University of Southern California for his undergraduate studies and Loyola Law School for his graduate studies. He is the founder of POSH Consulting, where he assists clients with marketing, advertising, business development, and fundraising strategies. He is also the co-host of The Founder Hour podcast. Nerses has been involved in APS since 2017, serving as President in 2018 and 2019. Recently, Nerses joined the Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School's Board of Directors.
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Elin Khachikian
Marketing Committee Member/Graphic Designer An artist and designer by nature, Elin was born in Bad Schwalbach, Germany and raised in Los Angeles, California. With degrees in Visual Communications from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and Art History from California State University Northridge, Elin has an innate understanding of attractive and effective visual communication. Specializing in branding, Elin helps her clients create their visual identity across a range of industries. In her spare time Elin enjoys reading, cooking and working on her illustrations.
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