Anaida Fahradyan
Anaida Fahradyan graduated from Wilson College with a B.A. in Business Management and History/Political Science with a minor in Spanish, earning the highest distinction. Her Honors thesis focused on the Armenian refugee resettlement during the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. She co-authored an article on “Decolonizing the Comparative Politics of Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia” with Dr. Ela Rossmiller, published in the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies newsletter. Additionally, she conducted research on Third Committee resolutions at the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations.
Originally from Armenia, Anaida's passion for international education blossomed during her US Department of State Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) experience in Kansas in 2017-2018. The year after, she was selected as an active FLEX alumna to participate in the Workshop for Youth Leaders in English Teaching held in Ukraine. After the workshop, she adeptly applied her English teaching expertise to create language learning opportunities for remote villages in Armenia. Fluent in English, Armenian, Russian, and Spanish, Anaida's passion for cultures drives her to learn Italian and Bahasa Indonesia as well.
Throughout her undergraduate years, Anaida actively served Wilson College as the Government Association officer for Academic Affairs, officer for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, senior class president, and president of Muhibbah Intercultural Club. She also contributed to the college community as a peer teacher, subject tutor, aide to the President’s Office, resident assistant, and director of the Campus Activities Board, fostering an inclusive atmosphere.
An accomplished scholar, Anaida is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Gamma Mu, and led Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society as the Wilson circle president. She is a recipient of numerous accolades, including the Lucy Bremmer Global Citizenship Award, the Marel Harlow Cheng Memorial Prize in International Studies, the Josef Michael Kellinger Foreign Language Award in Spanish, and the William P. Van Looy Business Prize.
In her free time, Anaida enjoys playing the piano, traveling, practicing Armenian traditional and lyrical dance, and volunteering.