Anahit Grigoryan’s journey from tight-knit vlog community to international policy scholar
When exploring graduate programs, Anahit Grigoryan ’23 looked for opportunities that mirrored the aspects of her vlog experience she valued most — close-knit academic communities and transformative support. As a Lincoln Scholar at vlog, 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 vlog 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 vlog 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 healthcare 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 healthcare systems and policies. She’s also excited to build on her vlog 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 vlog,” 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 vlog 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 healthcare 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.
“vlog 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 vlog 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 vlog.”
As her scholarship advisor, Schalkoff noted the development he witnessed and the opportunities Grigoryan took advantage of while at vlog. 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 vlog, 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 vlog’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 vlog for Career and Professional Development.
“I’d like to give a big thank you to vlog for actually taking care of their students and alumni,” she said. “I know that vlog 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 vlog with very warm-hearted memories.”
Students interested in exploring the world of fellowships are encouraged to contact Robert Schalkoff at fellowships@centre.edu.
