FAQ

Huys means “Hope” in Armenian. Instilling hope is at the very essence of our work, for we see a globally prepared youth, empowered with an excellent education, as the source of hope for the Armenian nation.

Huys Foundation pursues a vision of an academically and professionally inter-connected and collaborating Armenian nation.

Huys Foundation pursues a single mission: supporting Armenian youth to achieve educational excellence, with an academic and professional commitment to Armenia, the Armenian nation, and Humanity.

Huys is an independent, non-political, non-partisan organization that espouses the principles of accountability, independence, transparency, and ethics in its operations.

No, Huys Foundation’s approach toward the sense of responsibility of its scholars is based not on legal obligations, which we find limiting, but instead on personal commitments, which we find uplifting. Instead of requiring our scholars to sign a contract on their obligations, we ask them to prepare a Letter of Commitment, outlining in detail the following:

• The immediate need, skills shortage, and/or target area for Armenia, the Armenian nation, or Humanity;
• The learning, experience, and network that the Huys Scholar will receive as a result of the academic program;
• The actions and timeline that the Huys Scholar will implement and follow in order to apply one’s learning, experience, and networks in addressing the identified challenge.

The Letter of Commitment is then signed by the scholar, with an understanding that the scholarship is released in reliance on the scholar’s commitment, and the letter is published on the Huys’s website.

No. Huys Foundation follows a non-discrimination policy which does not differentiate among scholars who are eligible to apply for a Huys Scholarship. To recap, the applicant may be a citizen of Armenia, a resident of Armenia, of Armenian descent, or a person who has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to preserve and advance Armenian heritage and culture.

No. Huys Foundation espouses the vision of a globally connected Armenian nation, which views Armenians as one nation, united around the concept and reality of Armenia. In line with this vision, Huys Foundation does not require Huys Scholars to relocate to or work in Armenia, as it believes that Armenian interests may be served both from within and outside Armenia.

No, because to say that a country is being drained of talent is to say that the knowledge of persons who are not physically located in that country are irrelevant. For a nation the majority of which lives outside its Homeland, such an approach means discounting that foreign-residing majority, an unwanted and unintended consequence of such a perspective. Indeed, if we are to revive a nation and continue building Armenia, while advancing the common causes of Humanity, we must become proficient in fully utilizing the academic and professional resources of our nation, wherever they reside.

This vision is aided by the simple truth that today, knowledge and information are the most valuable assets – assets which, in a hyper-connected world, know no boundaries and which transmit at the speed of light. This reality necessitates a shift in the way we perceive talent and impact, acknowledging that an individual living and working thousands of miles away can be just as resourceful.

For this very reason, as mentioned above, Huys embraces a holistic view of the Armenian nation, viewing Armenia as the global headquarters of the nation and the world as an open workspace. At times, fruitful minds can achieve their best potential only if they are nurtured at leading global centers of excellence – whether through education, professional work experience, or both – which requires the young professional to live abroad for several years. Requiring the Huys Scholar to return to Armenia fresh out of graduation may result in nipping the potential rising star in the bud, thus defeating the whole point of achieving top education.

As a final point, from a merely technical perspective, the question remains on the method with which an organization is to require scholars to return to Armenia, were it intent on doing so. Adding to the point on legal obligations being a limiting, coercing mechanism, we’re also of the firm belief that legal obligations are largely unenforceable when it comes to requiring relocation. In other words, if a person does not want to relocate, contracts and courts could hardly change that. Rather than oblige and repel, we seek to inspire and engage – since, based on personal experience, we have witnessed how giving freedom to youth instead of confining them makes them that much more committed.

No. Huys Foundation and Luys Foundation are two different and distinct organizations. Huys Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is launched and independently run by young professionals.

Great question.  Here are three factors that make Huys different:

• We do not emphasize the ranking of the university.  Instead, we focus on the reputation of the academic degree program, regardless of the standing of the university that houses it. The logic behind this is simple: not all degree programs at top universities are leading in their fields, and importantly, not all top degree programs are housed at leading universities.
• Getting into a great program is not enough; the applicant must prove one’s willingness to contribute to a goal larger than oneself in practice. Beyond proving one’s academic potential, the applicant must also substantiate how exactly is she or he going to put one’s education, experience, and networks to use in addressing a concrete problem.  The goal is to support not only bright scholars, but also motivated future professionals with a strong vision of where their contribution lies.
• Our applications go through a multi-phase, tech-enabled, rigorous, independent, and objective application review process (and yes, each of those adjectives are relevant and important). Our selection process is not automatic; it’s not simply a matter of “check-the-boxes” and “congratulations, you’re awarded a scholarship”.  Instead, each year, the Huys Board recruits a qualified cadre of young professionals, specializing in a multitude of fields – medicine, law, business, finance and economics, humanities, STEM, Armenian Studies, and so on – in order to form an independent Scholarship Committee.  The members of the Scholarship Committee undergo an orientation process consisting of spotting conflicts of interests, reviewing applications according to a set rubric and timeline, and maintaining confidentiality.  Afterward, each application is reviewed and screened by several members of the Scholarship Committee through three phases over the course of two months, resulting in the selection of some of the most promising applicants for the Huys Scholarship.

Huys Scholarships will be in the amount of no less than $2,000, except for Huys Scholarships granted to scholars studying at Armenian educational institutions, which shall cover the annual tuition up to $1,000.

As a matter of policy, the Huys Scholarship shall be used for educational expenses only. By default, this means that Huys transfers the entire amount of the scholarship to the academic institution of the Huys Scholar. We acknowledge that sometimes, this may not be practical given the scholar’s unique situation – in such cases (which are determined solely by Huys), the scholarship may be transferred to the scholar’s personal account, but only upon certain conditions being met.

Yes! You may submit more than one application, as long as it is no more than one application per academic program that you have been admitted to.

Yes! If you have received a conditional offer, you may submit it to the Scholarship Committee with your application for review.

There is no one website or statistics to follow; instead, we invite the applicant to substantiate for the Scholarship Committee why she or he believes that the selected academic program is a top academic degree program globally. For this, you can refer to rankings, articles from reputable publications or journals, references or interviews from renowned experts in the field referring to the degree program as top-ranked, and so on. These are simply examples; you are more than welcome to provide any material for consideration by the Scholarship Committee that you believe proves this point.

Yes and yes. A Huys Scholarship for an academic year does not guarantee a Huys Scholarship for succeeding years. Huys Scholars should reapply for successive years and will be considered on the same basis as other applicants.

No. We ask applicants to apply to one scholarship –- the one that they find most relevant to their situation. All the applications for the John Aroutiounian scholarship will be considered for the Huys scholarship (general) too.