Vahag Matevosian has held a number of leadership roles during his high school tenure.
A senior at Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School, Matevosian is the current student body president after previously serving as the freshman and junior class president. He is also a member of the Glendale Unified School District’s Student Advisory Council.
Now, he can add another role to his resume. Matevosian recently assumed the position of student Board member for the Board of Education.
Fellow members of the Student Advisory Council, which consists of student representatives from every high school in the district, voted to elect Matevosian, a senior at Clark, for the esteemed position of representing students’ interests during Board meetings.
“My involvement in a lot of leadership positions inspired me to seek a bigger opportunity, something that I could eventually grow from,” Matevosian told the News-Press. “It’s a huge leadership position. So, this is probably the biggest thing I’ve done so far and I’m planning on continuing this upward trend.”
Regarding how he will tackle the responsibilities that come along with being the student Board member, Matevosian said his top priority is learning as much as he can about each school’s individual needs and paying close attention to elementary and middle schools, rather than simply focusing on high schools. In addition to attending community social events to hear from parents and students alike, Matevosian wants to hear community feedback from SAC events like the Middle School Leadership Conference and Student Voice Panels.
“The student voice panels really enable us to hear from a diverse group of students about issues they’re facing at each school,” Matevosian said. “Every school has a very unique demographic and there [are] different safety issues.”
During his first meeting acting as student Board member on Tuesday, Matevosian announced an upcoming Student Voice Panel hosted at Crescenta Valley High School from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 24. The panel will consist of 15 students — three from each high school — answering questions and engaging in conversation topics prepared by the SAC. Matevosian identified the three main topics as health and safety, campus culture and academic support.
“I am very excited to hear some of the brilliant ideas that this group of gifted students will present to us later this month,” he said during the meeting.
Born and raised in Glendale, Matevosian emphasized his investment in learning as much as he can about all the schools across the district and taking that knowledge with him to Board meetings to adequately represent various districtwide and school-specific interests.
Along with two other candidates for the position, Matevosian shared with selected SAC members his resume, two recommendations letters and a speech before they ultimately chose him as student Board member. He was officially sworn in during the Sept. 26 GUSD Board meeting.
“Hearing input directly from the students we serve is vital to the work we do on the Board of Education,” Board President Jennifer Freemon said during the meeting.
In addition to Matevosian’s involvement with student government in which he helps plan and organize Clark events such as homecoming, Clarktoberfest and winter formals, he also founded the Medical Explorers Club. Starting out small with a few members, the club has grown to more than 100 members and brings in guest speakers for class presentations and discussions surrounding the many different medical specialties in the vast health care field.
With a passion for math and science, Matevosian plans to major in biotechnology in college and has his sights set on UCLA, USC and a number of Ivy Leagues.
While he has had many positive supporters championing his leadership growth and academic achievements, Matevosian spotlighted his current AP calculus teacher, Violet Mardirosian.
“She’s the one of the greatest inspirations and kindest human beings,” Matevosian said. “She gives me great advice and she is always there to listen. She cares a lot about teaching.”
Balancing his leadership roles, academic responsibilities and regular life takes care and consideration, said Matevosian.
“The key is honestly organization … Taking all of [my commitments] and organizing them and managing and dividing my time properly is probably what’s most effective for me getting all my tasks done, both efficiently and without feeling rushed and overwhelmed,” he said, adding that he relies heavily on his white board calendar for planning.
Aside from his involvement at Clark and in the district, Matevosian enjoys photography, hiking, and cooking and baking Armenian foods and pastries.
First published in the October 14 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
