In memory of John Aroutiounian
Luys alumnus ’15
Through Education to Eternity — this guiding principle empowers Huys Foundation to create and promote a timeless intellectual value for Armenia, and for the Armenian World globally. These are also the ideals that John Aroutiounian stood for during the brilliant 26 years of his life, with a deep commitment of serving others through vast knowledge, gratitude in action, and an undaunted pursuit of the true and the good. In homage to his legacy that lives, Huys Foundation dedicates the 2019-2020 Huys Scholarships to the memory of John Aroutiounian, who truly achieved eternity through his unwavering commitment to intellectual growth and searching for truth through education, faith, and service.
Read through the columns John wrote for the Yale Daily News and suddenly you can feel his spirit, and hear his voice coming alive. John’s love for humanity and justice was the drive. He was a fearless warrior taking on challenging issues, while remaining respectful and gracious to all parties. John uniquely combined bright intelligence, good ambition, courage, wit, humility, and kindness what made him successful as a person, a leader, a thinker, a professional, and a friend, making him so appreciated, loved, and respected by all.
As a fellow Luys alumnus, John was our dear friend. On countless occasions did John huddle together with his peers under the starlit night sky in some faraway Armenian village, long past the setting of the sun, forgetting their place in time and space as they gave full swing to their minds, debating history and philosophy, politics and ethics, dreaming about the future of Armenian and global civilization.
On May 3, 2019, the Armenian World lost John Aroutiounian: one of its youngest and brightest stars. However, stars do not die, but are reborn. The greatest of stars expand vastly and burst their colossal energy back into the heavens. From and amongst the stardust of that awesome explosion, millions of new stars are born to embark on their own stellar journey.
So does the wealth of John’s work serve as an unwavering foundation for the ascent and accomplishments of rising stars. Huys Foundation announces the John Aroutiounian Scholarships for 2019-2020 to ignite the minds and creativity of new talents who will take inspiration from John, inspire others in their own right, and continue the passionate service to humanity that John so beautifully championed.
Meet our Huys Scholars.
Biography:
John Aroutiounian (1993-2019) was born and raised in New York City, also lived in Washington, DC, Kentucky, Connecticut, and the UK. In 2015, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Ethics, Politics & Economics (EP&E), and History (with Distinction) from Yale University. In 2017, John obtained his Master of Studies degree in Classical Armenian Studies from the University of Oxford. He had an expected graduation date of 2020 from Columbia University Law School, where he was studying for his Juris Doctorate, and was a recipient of the prestigious Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship.
While at Henry Clay High School Academy in Kentucky, John was elected Youth YMCA Governor of East Kentucky, and served as a United State Senate Page in Washington, DC.
He successfully lobbied the office of the Governor of the State of Kentucky to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Later, as a Luys alumnus, John maintained a stalwart commitment to Armenia and Armenian affairs, working with the Armenian National Committee of America to advance Armenian issues in the American political sphere, and also founded the Yale Armenian Network.
Prior to law school, John Aroutiounian worked at the New York District Attorney’s Office.
He was the Speaker of the Yale Political Union, a staff columnist for Yale Daily News, an elected member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), a member of the Capitol Page Alumni Association, the Committee Chair of the Yale Political Union Alumni Association, and one of the Young Friends of the New York Philharmonic. John did volunteer work for The Trevor Project, providing counseling and suicide de-escalation services for young people. He spoke six languages, played the piano, loved journalism and creative writing, and enjoyed hiking, cycling, playing polo, and traveling.