Ara Azizbekyan, AUS Alum

Ara during his visit to our office

The positive impact of studying abroad lasts long after you return home, and it can translate into tangible benefits later on in life. We recently had a visit from Ara Azizbekyan, an Armenian AUS graduate who majored in management at the School of Business Administration. He studied abroad at George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA, in the Fall 2016 semester. After his graduation in May 2017, Ara landed a job as a consultant for Knowledge Workx. He says he wouldn't have gotten his current job without his study abroad experience, as Knowledge Workx were looking to hire people who had international experience and demonstrated intercultural intelligence and interest.

Ara was the only representative from the Middle East during his study abroad at GWU. During his time abroad, he was surprised to observe that the various friendship groups that formed at the university had nothing to do with nationality, but were instead founded on the basis of common interests and shared experiences. The cohort he belonged to ended up being super international and cross-cultural. Another difference Ara observed between the USA and the UAE was between their respective 'world views' - the USA world view focusing on a rule-based approach to determine 'right' or 'wrong,' versus the more relational and honor-based focus for determining 'right' or 'wrong' in the UAE. 

Ara's study abroad was also a gateway to his personal development; it was the first time he'd ever had to live by himself. He learned how to cook, do grocery shopping, do laundry, and just take care of himself (i.e. not just eating junk food). He lived with three 'strangers' in a two-bedroom apartment and had to learn how to set boundaries and respect his own and his roommates' personal space. And finally, he had to learn how to properly balance study, work, and play. 

Studying abroad gave Ara the desire to travel and explore more. He didn't really go through any kind of slump when he was abroad at all, but he found that he experienced severe reverse culture shock when he returned back to the UAE. He wishes that he'd been able to extend his study abroad to stay longer - unfortunately, he wasn't able to due to his graduation, and he wasn't able to go any earlier due to passport issues. Regardless, the experience had a very significant impact on his life, both personally and professionally.

Spending a semester in GWU isn't the only international study experience Ara has had. He has also completed an internship in Armenia as well as his undergraduate studies as an international student at AUS in the UAE (when his home country is Armenia). These experiences were a huge part of why Ara gained employment at Knowledge Workx, whose mission is "to be the globally preferred choice for interculturally intelligent consulting, coaching and learning." He joined the organization about a year and a half ago and has completed their ICI and DISC Certifications. While undertaking these certifications, he found that all of his own personal stories (shared with other class members) came from his study abroad experience at GWU. Ara currently designs training programs and develops them virtually for global participation. He finds that the Knowledge Workx tools and frameworks resonate with his experience.

Ara also remembered Osama Mafraji, who was his International Exchange Advisor and the predecessor of Grace Morales, who now occupies the same position. Before Ara left for GWU, Osama told him to call him anytime, day or night, if he experienced any issues while abroad. Osama had studied abroad through our program himself prior to his graduation and knew first-hand about the sort of personal journey that a study abroad experience can take a person on.  

Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist