CONNECTICUT, United States — Juliet Balian, Carmen Kundakjian, and Marie Balian are three sisters from Connecticut, who have built successful careers in the United States in marketing, finance, and commercial real estate. Juliet, the middle of the three sisters, recently became a supporter of the American University of Armenia (AUA), initially by contributing to the institution’s Annual Fund. Her commitment soon led her to establish the Mesrob and Sache Balian Endowed Scholarship Fund to honor the memory of her parents. While ostensibly giving back to their Armenian roots, the story behind Juliet’s commitment reaches far deeper.
Juliet, Carmen and Marie’s achievements are inspired by and deeply rooted in the sacrifices and resilience of their parents. Born in 1915 in Gesaria, Turkey, Mesrob Balian lost his mother, was separated from his father, and traveled on the death march eastward with his grandmother and uncle, reaching Lebanon by the age of one. Luckily, Mesrob survived and was eventually able to reunite with his father. Together they moved to Constanta, Romania, where his father created a new family and ran a small grocery store.
Sache Balian was brought up in Bucharest, Romania, where her father worked as a traveling salesman. At the age of three, her life was upended by the start of World War I, which drove her family to leave Bucharest and find refuge in Odessa, Ukraine. After two years, the family returned to Bucharest with a new family member, her sister Arshaluis, who was born in Odessa.
Mesrob and Sache met during the trying times of World War II and married in 1941 in Bucharest. Over the course of their 60 years together, they would resettle two more times: first in Beirut, and later in the United States. Along this journey, they raised three daughters, persevered through Communist rule, built several businesses, and paved the way for their family to survive and thrive.
“Although they came to the U.S. in their late 40s with no money and worked in minimum wage jobs, they never wavered in their belief in education,” Juliet remarked.
Despite all the hardships, Mesrob and Sache triumphed in their dream to raise three strong daughters who pursued their passions through education and professional careers. Now, deserving AUA students will benefit from Mesrob and Sache’s vision. Today, Juliet hopes to support students in Armenia who have a contribution to make and have a desire to use their skills to strengthen Armenia.
“I am so proud,” said Juliet, “to be able to help Armenian students and to know that by doing so, I am passing forward the gift our parents gave us and also keep their dream alive to honor and nurture our heritage. Giving people the opportunity to bring forth their ideas and abilities is the best way to secure Armenia’s future. It’s a privilege to give someone the gift of an education and, through that, remain connected to our culture and heritage.”
The Mesrob and Sache Balian Endowed Scholarship will carry the legacy of Mr. and Mrs. Balian by empowering generations of AUA students to become leaders and shape a brighter future for Armenia.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values. AUA’s Office of Development stewards the University’s philanthropic efforts exclusively for educational purposes.