Lilit Shahverdyan, B.A. in English & Communications ‘24

Leon & Viktoria Shaldjian Foundation Scholarship

Lilit Shahverdyan is from Stepanakert, Artsakh. Following the footsteps of her elder sister who had studied at AUA, Lilit, too, chose to apply to the University in order to study in the B.A. in English & Communications program. She was always keen to study humanities and literature, but after participating in a media workshop at the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies, Lilit set a goal to become a journalist.

“I am a reporter from Artsakh working at Eurasianet. It’s a media platform covering political issues in the Caucasus. My main responsibility is to write about the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and feature stories from Artsakh. I also freelance for other online media publications, such as EVN Report.” Lilit believes that her work as a journalist plays a crucial role in raising awareness on the current situation in Artsakh. She hopes to continue her work and write for more international platforms. “We don’t have enough journalists in Artsakh, so I want to return home as soon as possible to be able to cover the news and hopefully make a difference,” she says. “We need to work harder to reach an international audience and raise awareness.”

As a journalist writing mainly in English, Lilit attributes her success to AUA, which equipped her with the appropriate writing skills and a profound knowledge of the English language. She feels lucky to have joined the AUA community with the help of the Leon & Viktoria Shaldjian Foundation Scholarship, which enabled her to continue her studies and achieve greater success in journalism.

Below are a few of her recently published articles: 

EVN Report:

The People of Artsakh: Resilience and Anguish

Eurasianet:

Blackouts and Food Rationing as Karabakh Blockade Enters Second Month

Blockade of Nagorno Karabakh Enters Second Day

Gas Restored to Karabakh but Road Remains Closed for Fifth Day