We are very happy to share the letter sent to us by Julieta Petrosyan – our active youth representative from Torosghyugh community. It’s been slightly over two months since Julieta has been attending English language studies department of the faculty of philosophy and literature of the University of Valladolid in Spain and she wanted to share her success with us. We are extremely happy for Julieta and we wish her new achievements, energy and confidence on the path of achieving her goals. We are sure that Julieta’s hard-working personality and her success story will serve as a positive example for youth from other communities.
If you have a dream and want to achieve it, you need to overcome many difficulties and never give up, because it will definitely come true.
I begin to write about myself through these lines because this idea has always been a guide and helped me so that in any case I never give up and move forward. I am Julieta. I was born and raised in the village Toros of Shirak region. Since I was a child I have had many hobbies, but most of all I have been dreaming about traveling. So, to realize my dreams I needed to learn foreign languages and I chose English because I studied it at school and I liked it. Initially, I entered the department of translation from English into Armenian at Shirak State University. Additionally, I took part in the youth active group of my community which carries out many programs and different events with the help of the “Women for Development” NGO. With the organization’s support, various clubs were functioning in our village, and this made me think about starting an English club. For about two years, I was voluntarily leading the English club for pre-school and elementary school kids. Not only this was very helpful and motivating for the children, but also it was a great experience for me. My work and active participation in various community projects was highly encouraged and valued by WFD NGO and that was the reason they supported my nomination for participating in a one week training in Poland organized in frames of Erasmus+ program back in 2020.
My joy was boundless as I slowly approached my dream. Due to this program, my life has totally changed. I made new friends, was able to communicate and got acquainted with different cultures, tried their traditional foods, and discover different countries. I am so grateful to “Women for Development” NGO because due to the program I gained self-confidence, the ability to speak freely in a foreign environment, and the most significant thing is that I learned to live alone in a foreign land.
After the program, I shared my experience not only with my peers in my village but also with the youth from other communities. Then I was thinking that if I had an opportunity again I would participate in a similar program one more time and expand my study-abroad experience. Two years later, my university announced a new Erasmus program, through which, if selected, I would have the opportunity to study for one semester at the University of Valladolid in Spain. I decided to apply for the program, but at first hesitated because my parents, especially my father, might not allow me to be out of the country for 6 months. To my surprise, however, the news was well-received. I participated in the program, and after going through many stages, I was selected. Currently I am attending the English language studies department of the faculty of philosophy and literature of the University of Valladolid in Spain. I am grateful to God for this opportunity and for making my dreams come true step by step.
