The Levon Airapetian Memorial Scholarship (LAMS) was created to honor the memory of Levon Airapetian, a leader, activist and humanitarian.

Mr. Airapetian had a deep passion for learning. He believed in the ability of each person to improve themselves through education. He himself left home at just seventeen and traveled 1,800 miles to Moscow in order to study at the prestigious Lomonosov Moscow State University. Mr. Airapetian funded his education himself, working for tips as a baggage handler at the train station in order to pay for his room and board. Though initially studying law, he changed course and obtained a Doctorate in Philosophy.

His dissertation topic was on the rights of an individual who is also a citizen of a socialist country. The experience of researching and writing his dissertation taught him the value of hard work, perseverance, and tenacity. This ultimately steered him towards the path to becoming a successful businessman and a talented writer.

In his thirties, he became Editor-in-Chief of Moscow's first color print weekly newspaper, Sobesednik. In time, he would go on to own 26 newspapers and magazines throughout the former USSR.

Later in his life, Mr. Airapetian built a school in his family's native village of Vank, Nagorno-Karabakh. Also known as Artsakh, this small Caucasus nation was tragically ravaged by ethnic and territorial war from 1988 until today. Mr. Airapetian equipped the school with advanced technology and Apple computers, so that children in this impoverished rural area could receive a world-class education.

Mr. Airapetian’s impact on the world was his belief in the power of education. Thus, we proudly offer the Levon Airapetian Memoriam Scholarship (LAMS) to students who are driven in academics and dedicated to the greater good of society.