An Unforgettable Journey with AVC

I was newly retired and wanted a safe, productive, and fun adventure, so I checked out AVC’s website and signed up. There were so many interesting opportunities to choose from!! I finally settled on the American University of Armenia’s Acopian Center for the Environment after a Zoom interview. I did research, analysis, and public communications during my 1-month stay. The AVC staff were excellent and enthusiastic! They are available for every question and every situation – I’m not sure if these people ever sleep! I used my off-time to reacquaint myself with Yerevan, an exciting and ever-changing city, and to visit with some very dear friends.

I have a feeling that AVC could be addicting. But no worries – don’t cry when you leave – you can always come back!

Written by Patricia Zerounian, AVC volunteer

Patricia Zerounian is a retired public health project manager, researcher, evaluator, and data analyst from Santa Cruz, California. She is half-Armenian and has visited Armenia on a number of occasions, generally to build houses for people who do not have safe, dignified places to live. Wanting to make a contribution at the policy level, she joined AVC to volunteer at the American University of Armenia’s Acopian Center for the environment, to research successful strategies for recycling, reusing, and recovering value from household and industrial solid waste.