At the 75th anniversary celebration of the Armenian educational institution, the Educational Visionaries Award was presented to Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend as individuals guided by educational vision.
Speaking at the ceremony, Zonabend delivered remarks also in her husband’s name, who has been unlawfully imprisoned in Azerbaijan for nearly two years. She said that Ruben’s passion and love for the idea of change in Armenia had inspired her to do the same.
“It is a great honor to be here today and accept this prestigious award on behalf of Ruben and myself. Of course, I would prefer to stand here with Ruben. Though I was born into a Russian-Jewish family, I consider myself Armenian By Choice,” Zonabend said.
She stressed that education has always been a driver of empowerment: “Knowledge and values are the only possessions that can never be taken from us.”
Highlighting Vardanyan’s current imprisonment, she described his unwavering faith in a better world built on education, knowledge, and community strength. She called on Armenians worldwide to unite, teach, learn, and support each other as a way to pass stability and lessons to future generations.
