Hayarpi Nersisyan
Co-President Hayarpi was born in Abovyan, Armenia, immigrating to the U.S. at the age of eleven. She went on to receive her A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Glendale Community College. She then transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science with concentration in Political Theory and a minor in Educational Studies. Hayarpi holds an M.S. in Counseling with a focus on Student Development in Higher Education from California State University, Long Beach. Currently she is working on her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. Her research interests include the experiences and identity development of Armenian American and Middle Eastern American college students. Professionally, Hayarpi is a tenured faculty at Long Beach City College. In her role she serves as a counselor/coordinator for the First Year Experience Programs, Honors program, teaches student and career development courses, and leads the professional development committee. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her pup Patch, working out, and traveling. Hayarpi joined the APS to give back to her community and to connect with fellow Armenian professionals.
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Andrew Ekchian
Co-President Andrew is an Information Technology Enterprise Architect for the Los Angeles Unified School District who also works part-time for a startup medical device company. He is a TOGAF and Tableau Certified IT professional who specializes in IT and Data Strategy. His interests include martial arts, yoga, improv comedy, working out, church, History, and Political Science.
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Sevak Kazaryan
Secretary Sevak Kazaryan was born in Simferopol, Ukraine and grew up in Armenia, immigrating to the United States at the age of six. He attended California State University, Northridge, earning a B.S. in Finance. Sevak is a managing partner at an accounting firm, working primarily with small businesses. He has been an APS member since 2019, joining to meet and network with Armenian professionals. He joined the board to directly support the organization’s causes and help expand its reach. In his spare time, Sevak enjoys working out, hiking, and attending concerts.
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Rafi Boyadjian
Finance Director Rafi was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2020, where he earned his B.S. in Financial Analysis. During that time, he participated in the 2018 AGBU Global Leadership Program in New York and held numerous leadership roles on campus, such as President of the Student Finance Association. He began his career as a Credit Risk Analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York within the Corporate Lending division. He currently works at City National Bank in Beverly Hills as a Credit Officer Associate within the Entertainment Banking division. He is also a mentor to high school students through Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles and expanded his community involvement by joining the APS Executive Board. In his spare time, he enjoys learning about the music business through UCLA Extension, attending live events, and traveling.
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Marissa Bazikian
Marketing & Communications Director Marissa was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She attended the University of California, San Diego for her undergraduate studies, earning a B.A. in Communications and minor in Theatre Arts. Afterwards, she completed her graduate education at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism earning a Master's in Communication Management. She is currently a Communications Specialist at City National Bank where she writes communication on behalf of senior leaders and executives and supports the bank's overarching communication goals and strategy. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching live shows, and swimming.
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Karine Kuilanoff
Social Media Director Karine was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She attended California State University, Fullerton for her undergraduate studies where she pursued a degree in Computer Science with a concentration in Scientific Computing and a minor in Mathematics. She began her career as an intern at Sony Interactive Entertainment. Upon graduation, she received a full-time position in the Quality Assurance department at Sony Interactive Entertainment. During her time at Sony, she decided to go back to school to pursue an M.S. in Project Management. Karine has continued to work at Sony for over eight years, and is now a Senior Software Engineer in Test. In her spare time, Karine enjoys spending time with family and friends, baking, and taking Pilates classes.
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Margaret Khachikyan
Membership Director Margaret was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles for her undergraduate studies, earning a B.A. in Economics, International Area Studies. During her undergraduate years, Margaret was involved in various Armenian and community organizations. After graduating UCLA, Margaret joined the Research and Evaluation department at Kaiser Permanente. Shortly thereafter, Margaret pursued graduate studies at University of Southern California where she earned her MBA. Currently, Margaret is a Sr. Contracts and Grants Administrator at Kaiser Permanente. She is responsible for negotiating clinical trial contracts and budgets with pharmaceutical companies, which recently include COVID-19 clinical trials. In her spare time, Margaret enjoys hiking, cooking, and traveling.
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Vanis Mardian
Mentorship Director Vanis Mardian was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17. He graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2014 earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and minor in Materials Engineering. Professionally, Vanis’ career has been in the chemical manufacturing industry in both engineering and management roles. He is currently the Project Engineering Manager at INEOS Composites where he oversees capital projects and is responsible for asset reliability in the company. Joining the APS has given Vanis the opportunity to give back to the community and help with development of fellow Armenian professionals. In his spare time, Vanis enjoys playing soccer, bouldering, hiking, and reading.
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Daniel Essayan
Graduate Student Director Daniel was born in Bethesda, MD and grew up in Oak Park, CA. He obtained his A.B. in Chemistry with Honors at Occidental College, completing over 2 years of undergraduate research in the Cannon Laboratory and a summer internship in the Cravatt Laboratory at Scripps. Daniel is currently an Organic Chemistry PhD Candidate in the Pronin Laboratory at the University of California, Irvine where he conducts research on metal catalysis and natural product/analogue synthesis. Daniel joined the APS Executive Board to extend his professional involvement into the Armenian academic community via gaining experience with grant/scholarship construction and review, and further expanding a pipeline of top-level applicants for the program. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys long-distance running and cooking.
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Haik Grigoryan
Events Director Haik Grigoryan was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from California State University. Northridge in 2008 with a B.S. in Accounting. He is a licensed CPA and has over 10 years of accounting and auditing experience in various industries. Haik is passionate about helping others and giving back to the community. He currently volunteers for the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR). In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, traveling, playing piano and tennis.
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Ani Petrosyan
Events Director Ani was born and raised in Fresno, CA. She moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, where she graduated with honors and earned a B.A. in English and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Post-graduation, Ani worked as a program manager for UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Executive Education department by day and attended Loyola Law School by night. Ani loved law school, and was significantly involved in student government, taking on such leadership roles as Vice President and President of the Evening Students Bar Association, as well as Student Ambassador for the Admissions Office. Today, Ani is an Associate Attorney at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles. In her spare time, Ani loves reading, traveling (according to a meticulous and detailed itinerary), and playing card games with her very competitive relatives.
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Sarkis Mazmanian
Events Director Sarkis is a Los Angeles native raised primarily around the Armenian community. After completing high school at AGBU, he went on to graduate from California State University, Northridge with a B.S. in Finance in 2013. After receiving his degree, Sarkis worked as an independent consultant with a focus on finance project management for six years, where he built a strong foundation of knowledge and skills in the industry. In 2019, he made a transition to becoming an Equities and Derivatives Trader, where he is constantly looking for new ways to grow and succeed. In his current role as an Events Director on the APS Executive Board, Sarkis has the opportunity to combine his background in consulting with his passion for hosting events. When Sarkis isn't looking at stock charts and monitors, his favorite pastimes consist primarily of lifting weights at the gym, watching a good show or movie, and taking very long walks by the beach.
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Melanis Stepanian
Outreach and Fundraising Director Melanis was born in Los Angeles, CA. Growing up in an urban area, she became passionate about environmental topics, such as water quality and waste management. Melanis obtained her B.S. in Urban and Regional Planning emphasizing Resiliency, Sustainability, and the Environment from California Polytechnic University, Pomona. During her undergraduate studies, Melanis was active on her college campus, holding leadership positions in various organizations such as the Armenian Students' Association, the American Planning Students' Association, and University Housing Services. She has served several professional positions including a Sustainability Internship in the City of Glendale, Water Conservation & Sustainability Internship in the City of South Pasadena, and an Environmental Engineering Internship at the Disneyland Resort. Today, Melanis works at the City of South Pasadena's Public Works department as the Management Assistant where she continues working on environmental and engineering projects. In her free time, Melanis loves going on adventures, meeting new dogs, cooking, and playing soccer.
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