around 20 years ago I was asked to
interpret for a speaker back then I was
15 though I was bilingual I had never
interpreted before I was freaking out
but my dad to live on as usual pushed me
in at the deep end I had to do it I had
no way around back then I wasn’t aware
but I was taking my first baby steps so
it’s a great future career
I’d continued volunteering using every
opportunity to interpret learn more
improve and exhale I loved it I
understood that I loved interpreting
very much and I had what it took to be
vigorous I want it to be a great one the
best my dream was big during those years
I was pursuing three degrees in music I
had a professional world champion choir
I love music I loved conducting it every
time I think of it my heart still beats
fast very fast but I knew that music in
Armenia wouldn’t make money in the long
run so I had to think forward so I
decided to do a degree and teaching
English as a foreign language here in a
way and on top of that an MBA my dad was
a businessman ready to support me in any
business I wanted to do he had his own
business as I could run so business it
shall be and being here at AUA was great
but the marketplace wasn’t I hated 96
computer office paperwork jobs it simply
killed between appetit and me I just
hated it
what I loved was interpreting however
the interpreting market seemed
impossible to me to be to enter
regardless of skills talents or
abilities it seemed as if I was facing a
fake
concrete wall impossible drilling – it
was hard and one beautiful day in the
same hall during one of our regular
public events I had the privilege of
listening to one of the best
interpreters of Armenia I mean he was
the most popular interpret in Armenia I
was so excited to finally see him face
to face talk to him learn from him and
hopefully take a few classes from him I
was sure I’d be a great student I was
going to make sure he was super proud of
me this was a dream come true
so during the break I rounded a halt as
fast as I could back then I was less
than 20 so I was fast three of the
fastest I wanted to make sure I didn’t
miss my chance to speak with it I got to
leave the reception table I finally
caught my breath and I said hi I am nine
degrees for duck jump
I’ve been interpreting for a few years I
know you are one of the best
interpreters in Armenia I mean the best
I have so much to learn from you
I’m willing to pay anything just to have
you as my teacher please even if it is
for my few lessons my heart was beating
as fast as it could my blood was rushing
through my veins and a hundred miles per
hour adrenaline rush all over I just
held my breath waiting for a reply this
was that dream come true please bear in
mind that I was speaking with the
interpreting rules of Armenia a top shot
interpreting for presidents of countries
and me a young girl a teenager with
limited experience but a strong drive to
excel to reach the top to become one of
the best I wanted to follow his
footsteps I was ready to do anything he
told me to I was willing to work day and
night becoming like him was what I was
dreaming of back then so I quickly did
the math in my head
maybe he’ll charge $100 a lesson oh it’s
a well-paying job to us he’s number one
so he’ll probably ask for more but on
the other hand I studied music for 15
years my teacher was a worldwide famous
conductor maestro significant and he I
did from high school all the way to a
PhD with the same professor
and he never charged a single penny so I
thought well on second thought who else
made me free while I was doing these
calculations in my head trying to solve
this probability problem trying to
understand which option had a higher
chance of occurring you can tell that
each probability can’t you so he replied
without a moment of hesitation I don’t
train competitors period I was lightning
struck or what did I hear you say
competitor speechless heartbroken
I left I’ll get back to the story later
the doors to my dreams were slashed shut
in my face however I had to move forward
so I started teaching teaching English
music and math I taught in schools
universities kindergartens language
centers taught at home taught online I
love teaching and I still do however my
teaching back then was very different
the logic behind it was the following
I’m the teacher I know better than you
and I am here to teach you well now I
know better and I’ll tell you how once I
had a student who wanted to take math
lessons he wanted to do SAT and most of
you know that if you teach TOEFL and SAT
you get to work with a lot of teenagers
the cream of the crop so in most cases
they pop up at my door
to me from my former students we have a
quick talk and we do a quick needs
assessment and this is the time usually
when students decide whether they want
to work with me or not and vice versa to
be honest I really refused to work with
a student but this was the case this
teenage boy seemed to be very lazy had a
very basic knowledge in the subject he
was planning to study he wanted to do as
little as possible and on top of that he
seemed to be arrogant and demotivated so
this was tough but I thought to myself
if I can’t handle such a case then Who
am I as a teacher
think forward you can’t always take the
shortest and easiest route when things
get tough now can you deep down in my
heart I knew I have to do something I
have to find a way around it wasn’t easy
I tried various method I tried being
your friends being a strict teacher
tried offering free lessons that
homework was thoughtfully trying to
allowing him to go a bit early if class
work was done efficiently tried showing
interest in his hobbies which was
playing video games by doing did you
know that if you are good at playing
video games you can earn millions there
are all I wrote while video game
championships
there are racking the players there are
people who donate money just to have a
comment before under your game all these
things I learned from my students at
times it did seem impossible it did take
the additional efforts to go the extra
mile but believe it or not right now
this young man it’s much more to me than
just the student he has become a very
dear person to my heart and by the way
he’s in the whole lesson learned
do not be quick to judge you never know
the prickles on the inside are usually
mite smaller than those on the outside
be patient while you are navigating
through storms of difficult characters
and knowing half
and the like this guy taught me more
than I did too
he taught me that’s not everything you
see is what you see he taught me to give
a second thought
when I am dead short I am right well is
it a 6 or a 9 it depends on the angle
you’re looking at it from is it an H or
an any it depends on the language you’re
coming from now when I look back at the
naughtiest of my students the students
who constantly wanted to break the rules
those who were labeled troublemakers
rebels and the like the students who are
struggling with their studies those who
didn’t care for their studies I want to
apologize from the depth of my heart for
having youth these labels though nari to
your face but deep down in my heart the
labels I should have used was that
taught me to be patient and await for
the flowers of the cacti to bloom and
not to be distracted by the prickles
diamonds that have shaped me as a
teacher a friend and a mother of three
having moved to Armenia from California
while I was a school was a shock I was
definitely not a diamond but I was in
the rough I was labeled as the auto
announce the newcomer this and that I
was under direct pen curse constantly
being corrected rather than be thought I
was constantly being labeled out rather
than being helped out I would love that
because I enjoyed going to church I felt
stupid because I just didn’t get the
hang of mast the only time I was the
star was during the English lessons and
you can tell why four years at my math
notebook I would write vampiress class
instead of writing math class I just
faded it and however as it besides these
quotes this too shall pass
and it did with the help of my mom Silva
I was blessed with a teacher who was
next to me and not about me and that’s
all it took to fly got straight A’s
all the way through a good lesson that
not everything you see is what you see
from the last third of Christie now when
I teach I treat each one of my students
with a question mark in my head in my
head interesting what she will become
curious to see him after five to ten
years I’m sure he’s gonna make it
thanks forward you might be shaping the
character of a future president too you
may also be training a competitor a
competitor or a team player it all
depends on you just like in football
soccer the players on the opposing side
whom you consider your rivals may one be
one day beyond the same team as you are
ironic isn’t it anyhow
on my way up as an interpreter I did pay
some
of obstacles and hostility but my story
didn’t end there so where was I
yes he replied I don’t train competitors
good I was rejected once again not good
enough once again the best teacher
let me tell chapped at what I was faced
with heartbroken my dreams were going
down the drain
confused trying to understand how on
earth could I ever be a competitor for
this big shot however I had to live my
continued determining took all the
available courses read all the possible
books continued interpreting did it
again and again and again and again for
18 years and one beautiful day it hit me
he was right he was right the obstacles
I faced the unwelcoming doormat
the fierce competition all together
became the perfect jumping board for me
to become what I was told I would be a
competitor now having climbed too many
mountains having made all the possible
mistakes I train young interpreters help
them build their own Network help them
move forward and after that I push them
off the cliff let me tell you what I
mean a short story the teacher said come
to the edge the students replied it’s
too high the teacher said come to the
edge the students replied we might fall
the teacher demanded come to the edge
and they did
and she pushed them and they very often
a pushes what is necessary to make
them fly
I dream of seeing my students become
better than I am become the best that
they can be and they will and when they
do I will have competitors competitors
on the same team achieve who support one
another who work with one another a team
who live each other up and back up one
another a team that does not limit your
opportunities but on the contrary the
team that opens doors for future
opportunities if you think forward you
will not only be shaping the future of
others but your own as well the people
we invest in now we will be the harvest
we read in the future back then I wish I
were considered a team member and not a
competitor however I do understand why
he said I do not strange competitors he
was right from a business point of view
Armenia indeed is a very small market
and at least he was honest about it
however with all due respect my
colleague is enough I believe that what
goes around comes around
therefore I sow seeds of encouragement
and support on my way back up because
when I come back down I will be reaping
the results therefore let’s do unto
others as we would like them do unto us
the obstacle you are considering as
fierce competition now may in fact be
your future cooperation remember not
everything you see is what you see
therefore let’s go after the diamonds in
there [Applause]
interpret for a speaker back then I was
15 though I was bilingual I had never
interpreted before I was freaking out
but my dad to live on as usual pushed me
in at the deep end I had to do it I had
no way around back then I wasn’t aware
but I was taking my first baby steps so
it’s a great future career
I’d continued volunteering using every
opportunity to interpret learn more
improve and exhale I loved it I
understood that I loved interpreting
very much and I had what it took to be
vigorous I want it to be a great one the
best my dream was big during those years
I was pursuing three degrees in music I
had a professional world champion choir
I love music I loved conducting it every
time I think of it my heart still beats
fast very fast but I knew that music in
Armenia wouldn’t make money in the long
run so I had to think forward so I
decided to do a degree and teaching
English as a foreign language here in a
way and on top of that an MBA my dad was
a businessman ready to support me in any
business I wanted to do he had his own
business as I could run so business it
shall be and being here at AUA was great
but the marketplace wasn’t I hated 96
computer office paperwork jobs it simply
killed between appetit and me I just
hated it
what I loved was interpreting however
the interpreting market seemed
impossible to me to be to enter
regardless of skills talents or
abilities it seemed as if I was facing a
fake
concrete wall impossible drilling – it
was hard and one beautiful day in the
same hall during one of our regular
public events I had the privilege of
listening to one of the best
interpreters of Armenia I mean he was
the most popular interpret in Armenia I
was so excited to finally see him face
to face talk to him learn from him and
hopefully take a few classes from him I
was sure I’d be a great student I was
going to make sure he was super proud of
me this was a dream come true
so during the break I rounded a halt as
fast as I could back then I was less
than 20 so I was fast three of the
fastest I wanted to make sure I didn’t
miss my chance to speak with it I got to
leave the reception table I finally
caught my breath and I said hi I am nine
degrees for duck jump
I’ve been interpreting for a few years I
know you are one of the best
interpreters in Armenia I mean the best
I have so much to learn from you
I’m willing to pay anything just to have
you as my teacher please even if it is
for my few lessons my heart was beating
as fast as it could my blood was rushing
through my veins and a hundred miles per
hour adrenaline rush all over I just
held my breath waiting for a reply this
was that dream come true please bear in
mind that I was speaking with the
interpreting rules of Armenia a top shot
interpreting for presidents of countries
and me a young girl a teenager with
limited experience but a strong drive to
excel to reach the top to become one of
the best I wanted to follow his
footsteps I was ready to do anything he
told me to I was willing to work day and
night becoming like him was what I was
dreaming of back then so I quickly did
the math in my head
maybe he’ll charge $100 a lesson oh it’s
a well-paying job to us he’s number one
so he’ll probably ask for more but on
the other hand I studied music for 15
years my teacher was a worldwide famous
conductor maestro significant and he I
did from high school all the way to a
PhD with the same professor
and he never charged a single penny so I
thought well on second thought who else
made me free while I was doing these
calculations in my head trying to solve
this probability problem trying to
understand which option had a higher
chance of occurring you can tell that
each probability can’t you so he replied
without a moment of hesitation I don’t
train competitors period I was lightning
struck or what did I hear you say
competitor speechless heartbroken
I left I’ll get back to the story later
the doors to my dreams were slashed shut
in my face however I had to move forward
so I started teaching teaching English
music and math I taught in schools
universities kindergartens language
centers taught at home taught online I
love teaching and I still do however my
teaching back then was very different
the logic behind it was the following
I’m the teacher I know better than you
and I am here to teach you well now I
know better and I’ll tell you how once I
had a student who wanted to take math
lessons he wanted to do SAT and most of
you know that if you teach TOEFL and SAT
you get to work with a lot of teenagers
the cream of the crop so in most cases
they pop up at my door
to me from my former students we have a
quick talk and we do a quick needs
assessment and this is the time usually
when students decide whether they want
to work with me or not and vice versa to
be honest I really refused to work with
a student but this was the case this
teenage boy seemed to be very lazy had a
very basic knowledge in the subject he
was planning to study he wanted to do as
little as possible and on top of that he
seemed to be arrogant and demotivated so
this was tough but I thought to myself
if I can’t handle such a case then Who
am I as a teacher
think forward you can’t always take the
shortest and easiest route when things
get tough now can you deep down in my
heart I knew I have to do something I
have to find a way around it wasn’t easy
I tried various method I tried being
your friends being a strict teacher
tried offering free lessons that
homework was thoughtfully trying to
allowing him to go a bit early if class
work was done efficiently tried showing
interest in his hobbies which was
playing video games by doing did you
know that if you are good at playing
video games you can earn millions there
are all I wrote while video game
championships
there are racking the players there are
people who donate money just to have a
comment before under your game all these
things I learned from my students at
times it did seem impossible it did take
the additional efforts to go the extra
mile but believe it or not right now
this young man it’s much more to me than
just the student he has become a very
dear person to my heart and by the way
he’s in the whole lesson learned
do not be quick to judge you never know
the prickles on the inside are usually
mite smaller than those on the outside
be patient while you are navigating
through storms of difficult characters
and knowing half
and the like this guy taught me more
than I did too
he taught me that’s not everything you
see is what you see he taught me to give
a second thought
when I am dead short I am right well is
it a 6 or a 9 it depends on the angle
you’re looking at it from is it an H or
an any it depends on the language you’re
coming from now when I look back at the
naughtiest of my students the students
who constantly wanted to break the rules
those who were labeled troublemakers
rebels and the like the students who are
struggling with their studies those who
didn’t care for their studies I want to
apologize from the depth of my heart for
having youth these labels though nari to
your face but deep down in my heart the
labels I should have used was that
taught me to be patient and await for
the flowers of the cacti to bloom and
not to be distracted by the prickles
diamonds that have shaped me as a
teacher a friend and a mother of three
having moved to Armenia from California
while I was a school was a shock I was
definitely not a diamond but I was in
the rough I was labeled as the auto
announce the newcomer this and that I
was under direct pen curse constantly
being corrected rather than be thought I
was constantly being labeled out rather
than being helped out I would love that
because I enjoyed going to church I felt
stupid because I just didn’t get the
hang of mast the only time I was the
star was during the English lessons and
you can tell why four years at my math
notebook I would write vampiress class
instead of writing math class I just
faded it and however as it besides these
quotes this too shall pass
and it did with the help of my mom Silva
I was blessed with a teacher who was
next to me and not about me and that’s
all it took to fly got straight A’s
all the way through a good lesson that
not everything you see is what you see
from the last third of Christie now when
I teach I treat each one of my students
with a question mark in my head in my
head interesting what she will become
curious to see him after five to ten
years I’m sure he’s gonna make it
thanks forward you might be shaping the
character of a future president too you
may also be training a competitor a
competitor or a team player it all
depends on you just like in football
soccer the players on the opposing side
whom you consider your rivals may one be
one day beyond the same team as you are
ironic isn’t it anyhow
on my way up as an interpreter I did pay
some
of obstacles and hostility but my story
didn’t end there so where was I
yes he replied I don’t train competitors
good I was rejected once again not good
enough once again the best teacher
let me tell chapped at what I was faced
with heartbroken my dreams were going
down the drain
confused trying to understand how on
earth could I ever be a competitor for
this big shot however I had to live my
continued determining took all the
available courses read all the possible
books continued interpreting did it
again and again and again and again for
18 years and one beautiful day it hit me
he was right he was right the obstacles
I faced the unwelcoming doormat
the fierce competition all together
became the perfect jumping board for me
to become what I was told I would be a
competitor now having climbed too many
mountains having made all the possible
mistakes I train young interpreters help
them build their own Network help them
move forward and after that I push them
off the cliff let me tell you what I
mean a short story the teacher said come
to the edge the students replied it’s
too high the teacher said come to the
edge the students replied we might fall
the teacher demanded come to the edge
and they did
and she pushed them and they very often
a pushes what is necessary to make
them fly
I dream of seeing my students become
better than I am become the best that
they can be and they will and when they
do I will have competitors competitors
on the same team achieve who support one
another who work with one another a team
who live each other up and back up one
another a team that does not limit your
opportunities but on the contrary the
team that opens doors for future
opportunities if you think forward you
will not only be shaping the future of
others but your own as well the people
we invest in now we will be the harvest
we read in the future back then I wish I
were considered a team member and not a
competitor however I do understand why
he said I do not strange competitors he
was right from a business point of view
Armenia indeed is a very small market
and at least he was honest about it
however with all due respect my
colleague is enough I believe that what
goes around comes around
therefore I sow seeds of encouragement
and support on my way back up because
when I come back down I will be reaping
the results therefore let’s do unto
others as we would like them do unto us
the obstacle you are considering as
fierce competition now may in fact be
your future cooperation remember not
everything you see is what you see
therefore let’s go after the diamonds in
there [Applause]
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