Kima is Armenian and student of the Masters in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Upon arriving in France, a war was declared in his country.
In this letter, she tells us about her career and the decisive role that the NEOMA Foundation and its donors had for the creation of her social enterprise in Armenia.
"Dear Donors,
My name is Kima, I am from Armenia. I had been working in a marketing agency during my bachelor degree and one year in a financial department of Accor hotels after graduation. These two working experiences made me understand that I had a big desire to not only work for gaining money but also for getting an enormous satisfaction by thinking that the hours spent in an office add real value to people’s lives and create considerable social impact. I knew that I wanted to create a more meaningful life for myself and that I had a big motivation to have my investment in the development of my country. However, I felt that I wasn’t “strong” and educated enough to create my own social company in Armenia. Unfortunately, in my country educational opportunities are too limited and it is impossible to get a high quality education, especially for a Masters degree. It had always been my dream to study in an international, well-known and academically professional environment. All the Universities of my country are only focused on theoretical and traditional methods that are no more valued in the modern world. That’s how I ended up applying for the Masters studies at Neoma BS in the faculty of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Neoma has radically changed my way of thinking, has broadened my horizon and has equipped me with soft skills that would be impossible to get anywhere else.
I have explored modern topics that are far from being integrated in the educational programs of Armenian Universities, I have met professionals who have always challenged my ideas and I have made international friends who are full of passion, energy and enthusiasm.
On 27 September when I had just arrived in France, I woke up to a war. It's a common thing in Armenia that there are tensions with our neighbor on the frontline, but this time everything was more serious: they had started a war for therithoris and were killing the civil population, bombarding the cities, destroying the historical monuments. I lost one of my best friends who was a soldier and I was terrified to find the names of other friends and relatives in the daily list of the deceased. Being away from my country and family during this time was not easy, I was suffering from feelings of uselessness and uncertainty.
All the educational scholarships of my country were addressed to the homeless and injured people and I didn’t receive any expected scholarship, as a result was not able to cover my tuition fee. During the pandemic and lockdown I wasn’t even able to find employment in Rouen. Hopefully, Neoma foundation supported me during this difficult time by reducing my tuition fee.
Currently I have returned to my country and have opened my own social company that gives a chance to the children of vulnerable communities to receive free but high quality education. Without the expertise and knowledge received at Neoma and without the help of Neoma foundation, hardly could I work on this project.
I would like to express my gratitude to the donors of Neoma BS. Without your support I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on my studies and launch my startup that is
currently changing the lives of hundreds of children in Armenia.
Kima
05.07.2021
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