When Armenians decided to move out of Armenia in the early 90s during the “dark and cold” years, they rarely came back. In fact, much of the time they would adopt this idea of abandoning Armenia altogether as the country was seen as a lost cause in the eyes of many Armenians.

After a long career spanning Italy and the United States, where Suren Mkyan (Mkrtchyan) took on leading roles in international opera productions – including a world premiere of Chukhadjian's Zemire – Suren repatriated to Armenia to perform his own part in bringing Chukhadjian's works to the stage here.

I first heard of the protagonist of this story a few years ago. During a call, my mom asked, “Do you know Narek Aslikyan?” I searched his name on Facebook and realized I’d seen him around – once at Ayb’s New Year fair with a classmate, and on social media, promoting IT education in Armenia.

A few years ago, well before healthy lifestyles, good nutrition, and sugar-free snacks became trendy, I was at a co-working space when my table neighbor offered me some sugar-free dried fruits. I discovered they were made by a young man named Artem, sitting at another desk nearby.

“I was born in Yerevan and went to school here until I was 13. Then, my family moved to Odesa, Ukraine, because of my dad’s job. That’s where I graduated from a medical university,” Ani begins.

Meet Artur Gasparyan. He is a repatriate from Russia and a standout graduate of the Birthright Armenia program. After moving from Moscow to Armenia post-2018 revolution, Artur quickly became one of the most popular young repatriates thanks to his engaging blog and the launch of the KIDO children’s center in Gyumri.