Who I am and what you’ll find on my blog

Hi, I’m Ara Sagharian and I’m in Year 11 at Upper Canada College. I started this blog to showcase my experiences as I enter the diploma programme at UCC, an IB school in Toronto.

I have a deep interest in history, legal studies, and ethics through the lens of cultural advocacy and multimedia storytelling. 

I first realized the impact of documenting the oral history of my family members, who all come from Armenian Genocide survivors, when I interviewed my grandparents for a school assignment. I learned from them the profound impact that intergenerational trauma can have, even more than 100 years later. 

Whether it’s through a podcast capturing their voices, visualizing history through graphic design or educating a large audience in a public forum like a school assembly, I know that cultural advocacy can take many forms. 

When I’m not in the classroom, I enjoy playing centre on a basketball team. I also play soccer for the UCC Junior Varsity team, where my position is goalkeeper. 

I’m also the head of the Armenian Culture Club at UCC, where we hold regular meetings and discuss everything from notable Armenians to little-known facts about this small West Asian nation. 

Currently, I am exploring a data-driven research project focused on injuries among student-athletes playing sports at a high school level. The objective is to recommend new policies that could prevent injuries and maximize playing time.

To wind down, I enjoy experimenting with graphic designs, playing video games and watching sports.