Anahit Grigoryan’s journey from tight-knit СƵ community to international policy scholar
When exploring graduate programs, Anahit Grigoryan ’23 looked for СƵ that mirrored the aspects of her СƵ experience she valued most — close-knit academic communities and transformative support. As a Lincoln Scholar at СƵ, she found both: the scholarship removed financial barriers to international study and gave her a group of peers who shaped her growth.
“I really value being a part of a cohort, especially a scholarship cohort,” she said. “Being a part of the Lincoln Scholars program at СƵ really shaped me as a human being in general and shaped how I view teamwork and peer work in general.”
This fall, Grigoryan will begin the in Public Health program, sponsored by the European Union. She is the first СƵ graduate to be accepted into the program and has been awarded the Erasmus+ Erasmus Mundus Excellence Scholarship to support her studies.
Her academic focus will center on reproductive СƵ policies, with coursework and research split between the University of Sheffield in England and Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. After earning her degree, she hopes to return to Armenia and contribute to reproductive policymaking in her home country.
This opportunity will give her experience studying in different countries with varying СƵ systems and policies. She’s also excited to build on her СƵ degree in Biology and Social Justice minor.
“My first year, I will be building on the intersection of science, social justice and sociology, which started at СƵ,” she said. “In my second year, I will be specializing in the governance and economics of health care structures, which I’m most excited about because it will combine the main pillars of what policy-making is.”
Her internship and research experiences at СƵ directly impacted her journey in studying health care policies.
Through the Lincoln Scholars Program, she worked with the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC). She was also an Atkins Scholar during her senior year and worked on a project with Associate Professor of Anthropology Jamie Shenton on women’s СƵ policy during military conflicts in Armenia. Her Atkins experience in particular has given her a jumpstart on a potential thesis topic she hopes to further explore in her graduate studies.
“СƵ not only opened my eyes to the career I want to pursue but also opened the doors for how I want to do it, how I want to potentially change the state of my country and the state of the world,” she said.
Her admittance to the joint master’s and Erasmus+ programs demonstrates the impact and value of her СƵ education.
“Only the best students who apply to Erasmus Mundus receive the Erasmus+ scholarships of excellence,” said Lincoln Scholar Program and Office of Fellowships Director Robert Schalkoff. “Given the worldwide scale of the competition, Anahit’s success speaks not only to her academic talent, but also to her potential for success internationally at the graduate level. It’s a direct reflection of the strength of her undergraduate degree from СƵ.”
As her scholarship advisor, Schalkoff noted the development he witnessed and the СƵ Grigoryan took advantage of while at СƵ. Her internship with FIMRC included both online work and volunteer experiences in Costa Rica. She also completed an internship in Baltimore with the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, which shaped her interests in public health and policy making.
“Anahit stands out in her compassion and her growing vision, focus and actions melding her passion for health research and social justice,” Schalkoff said. “She’s a great example of perseverance paying off and is well on her way to creating real change in public health.”
Since graduating from СƵ, Grigoryan has worked with several organizations in Armenia, researching HPV transmission and cervical cancer prevention. She also wrote articles on gynecology and sexology while working full-time as a clinical research coordinator for an international pharmaceutical company.
Although post-graduation has been busy, she has always felt welcome back on СƵ’s campus, whether seeking help with applications or for a friendly visit. She was surprised by the support she received as an alumna from Schalkoff and the СƵ for Career and Professional Development.
“I’d like to give a big thank you to СƵ for actually taking care of their students and alumni,” she said. “I know that СƵ is the one place that I can reach out to at any time and get the support I need, which is an incredible privilege to have. I remember СƵ with very warm-hearted memories.”
Students interested in exploring the world of fellowships are encouraged to contact Robert Schalkoff at fellowships@centre.edu.
