LOS GATOS, Ca. — On September 12, Bay Area sponsors of the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) 35th Anniversary Gala gathered at the private residence of AUA supporters Rev and Rachel Lebaredian in Los Gatos for an evening of connection, appreciation, and celebration. Rev Lebaredian, vice president of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, joined the American University of Armenia Corporation (AUAC) Board in 2026, bringing more than three decades of experience in computer graphics, simulation, and artificial intelligence (AI) to support AUA’s ambitions to expand its technology and research capabilities, strengthen connections between academia and industry, and position the University as an interdisciplinary hub for AI and innovation in Armenia.
Rev and Rachel Lebaredian welcomed guests for an evening centered on AUA’s role in Armenia’s future. In his remarks, Rev Lebaredian connected recent developments in Armenia’s technology sector, including the opening of the Firebird AI Data Center, to AUA’s mission of preparing the country’s next generation of leaders.
Gaiane Khachatrian, AUA vice president of Advancement, thanked the hosts and the sponsors for their generous support. “We hope to see all of you at the gala on November 7 at Beverly Hilton, Los Angeles. This is the time when we will celebrate what we have been able to achieve together, and, most importantly, what the next 35 years will look like, with many exciting new developments on the horizon,” she emphasized.
Khachatrian also shared an update on the University’s growing impact. AUA now has close to 8,000 alumni, with 75 percent continuing to live and work in Armenia. “These are not just numbers. Behind these numbers, there are stories, there are people, there are families, there are dreams, and there is a bright future,” she remarked.
Two AUA alumni in attendance offered personal perspectives on how an AUA education shaped their journeys.
Susie Avagyan (BSDS ’22), Hrant Khachatryan Memorial Scholarship recipient at AUA, now a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Data Science at Stanford University, reflected on how her AUA education shaped her academic journey, from the University’s first data science cohort to graduate research at Stanford. She also spoke about the lasting impact of AUA’s support and her commitment to using her expertise in computational biology and AI to contribute to Armenia’s future.“It’s very important for the AUA community who supports our education to know and to see that the investment they make goes far, far longer than just the four years that students spend at AUA,” she said. “Some people stay in Armenia. Some people go study elsewhere and go back, and some people have to balance. They establish careers that balance this bridge between Armenia and wherever they are. But AUA really serves as that bridge.”
