The Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs on Tuesday shared the story of Melania Melikian, who repatriated to Armenia three months ago.
Melania was born in Houston, Texas to Armenian parents from Iran. In 2009, she participated in the Birthright Armenia program, but repatriation never crossed her mind.
She was living and working in New York and coming up on 11 years in the city, trying to decide, personally and professionally, where to go next - a decision she'd been struggling with for a few years already. A move to anywhere else in the U.S. felt like a lateral one, and didn't excite her in the least. Like many Diasporans, Melania felt helpless and disconnected during the recent war, but that's when the idea to move to Armenia really started to take root. By the following spring, a job opportunity that aligned with her experience in advertising and production allowed the idea to really take shape. A year later, that id...
Read full story
