GLENDALE, California — When Magdalena Yesil first walked up the hill to the American University of Armenia (AUA) in April 2007, she was not arriving as a benefactor, but simply as a curious visitor, an Istanbul-born Armenian from California. “I showed up on campus to meet with the president, wearing blue jeans, carrying a backpack, with my hair in a ponytail — my standard look”, she recalls. “The president’s assistant asked if I would mind waiting for a while, explaining that the president was expecting a very important visitor. I sat in the waiting area for some time, but no “important visitor” arrived. Eventually, I walked in again and asked the assistant who the important visitor was. She replied, ‘Magdalena Yesil.’ I said with delight, ‘That’s me.”
That moment turned out to be the beginning of something far larger than a campus visit driven by curiosity.
Yesil’s path began in Istanbul, where she made a bold decision at age 10 to come to the United States. Inspired by the Apollo 13 mission, she pursued her high school education with determination, applied to universities in the United States using a book titled The Colleges and Universities of the United States, and eventually ended up at Stanford University, earning an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. Her career evolved from chip design to product management. When she could not get a job after her second maternity leave, Magdalena became an entrepreneur to generate some income for her family. Two IPOs and one acquisition later, she entered the world of venture capital, helping build and invest in companies that shaped the modern tech landscape. She was the first investor and a founding board member of Salesforce, recognizing the company’s potential before the world did.
For years, Yesil’s connection to her Armenian identity remained distant. She was focused on her work at home with her two boys and in the office, leaving little time for anything else. But as her children grew older, her curiosity drove her to learn more about her Armenian identity and discover the newly established independent Republic of Armenia. As she learned more about Armenia, the shared homeland of a dispersed people, her focus shifted from understanding the past to investing in the future.
“Many Armenian Americans are understandably focused on historic events. There is a lot of family trauma there,” she says. “Is there a way to direct that focus toward today’s Armenia and the Armenian people who are alive — people who have immediate needs and deserve to be invested in? Can we honor those family members who suffered and perished a century ago by supporting the lives of the Armenians who remain? I hope so.”
That realization led Yesil to AUA, a university she saw as uniquely positioned to expand opportunity and strengthen Armenia’s future through education. She chose scholarships as her primary vehicle, and the 20 students who have received the gift of education carry stories that reflect exactly the kinds of futures she envisioned.
Magdalena established the Troy Kevork Wickett and Justin Yeshil Wickett Endowed Scholarship using the names of her two sons, for them to carry her work forward. Aram Zohrabyan (BAB ’27) is one of the recipients of this scholarship. Aram remembers the moment with the clarity of someone whose world quietly shifted on its axis. “I had just come back from military service and was starting to build my future. My father has been living in Russia for years, working to support us from a distance,” Aram recalls. “When I called to tell him I had received 90% financial aid, he became emotional. The generosity of Ms. Yesil gave him peace of mind, knowing that his son’s education was secure.”
For Arshaluys Baghdasaryan (BSDS ’28), who grew up in Haykavan, a small village in Shirak, one of Armenia’s underserved regions, the scholarship carries a different but equally rooted weight. “I do not want to be among those who seek an opportunity. I want to create it. After I finish my education, I will go back to my region and contribute to its development,” Arshaluys remarks.
It is precisely this kind of thinking that Yesil believes education should produce — not just capable graduates, but people oriented toward something larger than themselves. “I am the opposite of the typical American advice of ‘just do something you really love,’” she says. “My advice is: do something that’s in demand.” She has put that belief into practice through every dimension of her support for AUA.
In addition to supporting AUA’s scholarship program, on the occasion of AUA’s 35th anniversary year, Yesil has established a named endowed visiting professorship at the AUA Zaven P. and Sonia Akian College of Science and Engineering, deepening the University’s academic foundation and ensuring her investment outlasts any single graduating class. On November 7, 2026, she will take the stage as the keynote speaker at AUA’s 35th Anniversary Gala to be held in Los Angeles.
About Magdalena Yeşil:
Magdalena Yeşil currently serves on the boards of SoFi, Picsart, Plume, and BAZ Therapeutics, and was the first investor and founding board member of Salesforce. A serial entrepreneur, investor, and technology pioneer, Yeşil began her career as a semiconductor design engineer and has spent decades shaping Silicon Valley’s technology ecosystem. She founded three companies focused on internet access, e-commerce infrastructure, and electronic payments, and later served as a general partner at U.S. Venture Partners before founding Broadway Angels, a network of women technology investors.
Yeşil’s entrepreneurial work earned her Entrepreneur of the Year from Red Herring Magazine, and she is also a recipient of the Fearless Leader Award from Women on Boards Project.
Magdalena is the author of Power Up! How Smart Women Win in the New Economy and Creating the Virtual Store. Born in Istanbul and of Armenian heritage, she holds both an M.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in industrial engineering and management science from Stanford University.
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 (WSCUC) 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.