Aida Martirosyan

Starting from my school years, I loved math and had a great interest in computers. So, after finishing school, I was thinking about what profession I should choose for myself that, on one side, would be interesting and pleasant for me, and on another side, beneficial and practical for my country. Considering my favorite fields and the high demands of Data Science in the world, also the lack of Data Scientists in Armenia, I decided to apply to the American University of Armenia to major in Data Science. Now I am a rising junior student and I feel that the developing field of Data Science in Armenia can do a massive job for the country as it can solve some critical problems that our country faces.

One of the problems that Data Science can help to overcome in Armenia is that it can use different tools to develop business strategies and consequently develop the country’s economy. Armenia had a complicated past, and during the last years, the country and nation faced difficult days because of wars and political issues. Of course, the mentioned difficulties negatively affected Armenia’s economy, and now to improve the economic status, we Armenians need to develop conditions for successful businesses. The role of Data Science is enormous, as it provides tools by which the specialists can gather data, analyze it, and create models, which can make predictions and help people make better decisions for their business. At this stage, I am still learning the tools and algorithms by which I can create such models that can make valuable predictions for humanity. My short-term goal is to become one part of a professional and already experienced Data Scientists group, where we can organize different projects which will explore the customer needs and interests in the daily market, and according to their status, we will suggest convenient and effective solutions, business ideas to develop Armenia’s economy.

Another important problem that Data Scientists can consider is developing the perception of art in Armenia and, in that way, allowing artists have a unique role in the market. Nowadays, there is no high demand for art among the people of Armenia. I have a lot of friends that have artistic skills, but they understand that there is no prosperous future for an artist in Armenia, and that is why they refuse to continue with art, and in my opinion, that is very sad as we lose good specialists. What Data Science can suggest here is that it can provide tools by which artists can create products that will be interesting for the audience, and by that, the demand for art in Armenia will increase. Data Scientists again analyze data, understand what the audience likes the best, and create tools to improve the artistic products and satisfy the customer’s needs. For example, with the help of Deep Learning, Data Scientists can create a project that can take the artist’s painting and change the artwork in the style of the customer’s favorite painter, Picasso or Van Gogh, which will give a creative opportunity to the artist to show their work in an innovative way.

In conclusion, Data Science is a powerful, developing field in Armenia. As explained in the above problems, it can suggest possible and effective solutions for growing businesses to succeed, consequently developing the country’s economy. Data Science can also be helpful not only in art but also in healthcare, agriculture, etc. At this stage, my goal is to collect a lot of theoretical and practical knowledge of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and related topics, which are the essential parts of Data Science. My long-term goal is to use my gained skills and knowledge, cooperate with Data Scientists of big companies, and work on projects that will provide critical solutions and results for my country first and then the world.

I am aware that Huys Foundation is granting the Huys Scholarship to me with the anticipation of my good faith pursuit and implementation of the projects and undertakings described in this letter, to which I hereby commit.